The Girl Behind The Curtains
by SweetDumpling
Summary: In her world, Kuroko was a girl who wasn't noticed by anyone, not even by her parents. All Kuroko wants is to be acknowledged, but she's not important to anyone, not special. She was a nobody. All of that changes one day after school... When she meets an obsidian kitten who changes her life. Sasuke Uchiha x OC, Rated T (May contain spoilers) ((Possibly on hold for now...))
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

Chapter 1

x-x-x-x

My name's Kuroko. I wasn't really noticed, or acknowledged at all. I was the "invisible girl" everyone looked through. I wasn't special. I wasn't important to anyone. Even my own parents forgot about me sometimes, hence my name. A kuroko is a person who stays backstage during a play, helping out with the scene changes. A person hidden from view, who never seemed to get the spotlight, no matter how hard they worked. To me, being ignored was just fine, I never was used to attention any ways. To everyone, I was just a girl behind the curtain, hidden from view. A girl that was non-noticeable, nor of any importance.

x-x-x-x

(Switching to 3rd POV)

Every school day was the same as any other. No one saw her, not even the teachers. Kuroko didn't bother raising her hand; no teacher would see it anyway. She just sat by the window the whole time, watching the scenery outside. After school was out, Kuroko gathered her supplies and headed home. Her house was about a mile away from school, so Kuroko walked. She dejectedly watched the other kids run home excitedly, can't waiting to tell their parents about the great day at school they had. As she trudged home, she noticed a bush on the other side of the road rustle slightly. Kuroko quizzically glanced over in the direction of the noise, and saw the bush shake again. Curiously, she crossed the road and peered into the bush. To say that Kuroko was shocked would be an understatement.

In the bush was a small black kitten, looking as if it would lose conscious any second. Kuroko's eyes widened with fear as the kitten glared at her, its obsidian eyes narrowing. _Poor kitten… _She thought. _It's probably going to faint soon. _Kuroko examined the kitten's frail figure, and noticed the lack of a collar and the ribs protruding from the sides. _It'll die of hunger if I don't do something!_ She cautiously reached out to it, slowly, as if to show she meant no harm. The black kitten hissed, back arched, and backed away.

"It's okay little one, I won't hurt you." Kuroko whispered softly. Its eyes glittered from the darkness of the shrub, watching her every movement. She reached out again, and although the kitten didn't back away, its glare intensified. Kuroko stroked its furry head, and the kitten stiffened. Its fur was matted and dirty, although she didn't care. Kuroko felt victorious even to touch such a feisty creature. After touching it, Kuroko knew she _had_ to do something. She weighed her options for a while, and then decided it wouldn't be bad to take it home with her. Her parents wouldn't notice, and her sister was away at the time.

"Alright kitten, I'm going to take you home. The only way to do that without drawing suspicions from my parents is to let me sneak you in through my backpack." Kuroko unzipped her backpack and motioned for it to climb inside. It glared at her.

"I'm sorry, I know it won't be the comfiest place to be at the moment, but you'll have to put up with it for now." _I don't care if your ego gets smushed; it's for your own benefit._ Kuroko sighed and motioned again.

"Come on, it's now or never." And surprisingly, after a while, the kitten huffed and hopped inside, glaring the whole time. She stood there, shocked. _It can understand me?! _ After Kuroko recovered, she gently zipped up her backpack, and placed it on her back. A warm feeling filled her chest as she walked home.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko stood in front of her house, and after swallowing her nerves, she unlocked the door. Creeping inside, she relocked the door and tiptoed upstairs and into her room. After closing the door to her bedroom, Kuroko opened her backpack. A small furry head popped out looking around curiously. Kuroko's room was an average sized room, with a bathroom and a walk-in closet. The walls were a light lavender color, with beige wood flooring. Small purple rugs were scattered on the floor, along with little furnishing she had; a bed, dresser, and desk. The black kitten hopped out, landing gracefully on the rug. It stared at her expectantly.

"Well, I should probably give you a name…" _I can't always be calling you kitten…_ Its eyes narrowed.

"Hmm… You're black… and…" It was then she realized that she didn't know the gender of the animal. Kuroko flushed red before turning to the kitten.

"Umm… Are you male," Kuroko asked, "Or female..?" The black kitten glared at her.

"F-female..?" She hesitantly asked, wincing inwardly as the glare intensified.

"Male then. How about… Blackie..?" It glared some more. Kuroko flinched.

"Shadow..?" She asked. The kitten gave one slight nod of approval. _Whew…Glad that's over…_ The kitt-_Shadow_ she corrected myself, was probably hungry. As if agreeing to her statement, Shadow's stomach growled. He looked away, a small blush on his fluffy cheeks.

"Hold on, I'll get something," Kuroko told him, "Stay in here." He nodded slightly. She crept downstairs, and into the kitchen. Standing at the fridge, she pondered on what she should feed him. After grabbing a chunk of ham, Kuroko tried to hurry back to her room, only to crash into her mother.

"O-oh! I'm sorry mother!" Kuroko apologized immediately.

"Kuroko you were home?" Her mother asked surprised.

"School ended a while ago…" _Seriously..? You never noticed?_ Kuroko inwardly deadpanned.

"Really?! I never noticed you. And why do you have ham..?" She asked, eyes narrowing.

"Oh… Uhh… It's a… snack! Yeah! A snack! I got hungry…"

"Okay enjoy it then." She said suspiciously, and walked into the other room. _Whew… Close call… _Kuroko thought warily, heading back upstairs.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Hello, this is SweetDumpling~

This is my first time writing a FanFiction, so please take it easy on me...

Thank you for reading, and please review! (I would appreciate it...)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto!

**~Author Note~**

Thank you so very much to mikesOme!

You're my very first reviewer~

I'm so happy to know that someone likes my story!

Chapter 2

x-x-x-x

Kuroko went upstairs with the ham in hand, disappointed that her _own mother_ hadn't noticed her coming home. She sighed, but became even more determined to take care of Shadow, to give him the attention she never got. She stepped into her room, and was greeted by Shadow's never-wavering glare.

"Here, I hope you like ham, because that's all I've got right now." She told him, and started to rip it into many bite-size pieces. Kuroko held out a piece in her hand, trying to coax the furry black kitten to come closer. Shadow didn't move an inch. _Geez… And here I thought that you were starving…_ She thought sourly. _ But patience is important._ Kuroko waited patiently, willing Shadow to come near her. He sat there, his cold calculating stare watching her every move. Finally after some time, Kuroko gave up and tossed the pieces of ham in Shadow's general direction.

"_Fine. _Have it your way. But mark my words; I _will _have you eat out of my hand _someday_." She promised him, sitting on her bed to watch Shadow ravish the pieces of meat on the floor. She watched him lick his paws clean, the turn to look at her once more.

"You're filthy… You need a bath Shadow…" Kuroko told him, staring at his dirty, matted pelt. He glared at her, as if telling her; _No shit Sherlock._ Kuroko searched for the necessary supplies to wash a kitten. She came out with a large fluffy towel and shampoo.

"Come on mister, let's go." She ordered, and Shadow followed her in, tail high as if he had an ego the size of an elephant. _Oh yeah..? Wait 'till after your bath. Then let's see how big your pride is._ Kuroko thought amusingly. She sat by the bathtub and turned on the water, adjusting the temperature until it was nice and warm. She turned to look expectantly at Shadow. He glared and huffed, trudging over to where she sat, stopping next to her. _Oh, all the possibilities… I could throw you in, but that's harsh… _After all, she needed to earn Shadow's trust to accomplish her promise of feeding him.

x-x-x-x

"In you go." Kuroko picked him up carefully and placed him in the tub. (**A/N~ **POOF!…JK Too predictable in my opinion…) Shadow stiffened, obviously disliking the water. Kuroko grabbed the shampoo bottle, uncapping it and poured some of the sweet smelling liquid into her palm. She then began so scrub all the dirt and filth off Shadow, giggling slightly as she spiked his hair up. _Take that you bastard!_ She smirked inwardly. Shadow glared.

"Don't get prissy, it's very fashionable." She told him matter-of-factly. His glare intensified. Shadow's ridiculous hair and, in her opinion, constipated face expression was too much for her. She burst out laughing, not caring if anyone heard. _No one would notice anyway… _She thought between her laughter. Eventually, she rinsed Shadow off, slightly disappointed about the spikes disappearing, and dried him off. The towel was way too big for the black kitten, so Kuroko ended up wrapping him up like a burrito. She snickered again, only to stop because of the smoldering glare Shadow was giving her.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself…" Kuroko apologized, picking up the burrito-wrapped kitten. She placed him on her bed, before changing into her pajamas, careful to keep her back turned towards Shadow. Kuroko gently unwrapped Shadow, who was now nice and dry, and told him to find a place to sleep.

"You could sleep with me in my bed…" She suggested, and slipped under her warm covers. Obsidian eyes scanned the room before walking over to a quiet corner. Shadow curled up and stared at her, eyes glimmering in the darkness.

"Good night." Kuroko told him before rolling to face the wall. _I hope that someday, we could be friends_

x-x-x-x

**~Author Note~ **

How was that..?

I tried my hardest and typed all of this in a hour~

I'm so proud of myself~

Anyways, thank you for reading, and please review.

I'm flame-friendly!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto!

(Though I wish I did…)

**~Author's Note~**

Is Sasuke too OOC..?

Just wondering…

Chapter 3

x-x-x-x

Kuroko woke up with a feeling of dread. Today was the day her sister came home. She glanced over to the corner where Shadow slept. With a sigh, she dragged her body out of bed, and into the bathroom. She took a short shower, and came out feeling somewhat refreshed. Shadow was up, busily licking his pelt clean. He noticed her watching him and stopped.

"Good morning Shadow." Kuroko told him, reaching over to pick him up only to have Shadow gracefully dodge her hands. She shrugged inwardly and turned to examine him. His ribs were still visible, but his raven-colored pelt was clean and grime-free. _I'll need to fatten you up some more…_ Kuroko thought, and decided to go downstairs to get some breakfast.

"Okay Shadow, so I'm going to get you some food. I'm pretty sure my parents won't notice you in here, but my sister will come home today and she might. Just wait here." Shadow nodded, understanding.

Kuroko exited her room, and walked down the stairs. She stopped in front of the refrigerator, opening it to take a look at its contents. _Shadow can't eat human food forever; it's not healthy for him. I'll have to go shopping soon. _She grabbed a bowl and filled it with some cooked rice. Then she poured some miso soup in, just enough to make to rice mushy. Taking the bowl upstairs, she passed by her father.

"Good morning father." She greeted him. His eyes widened slightly before grunting in acknowledgement. She walked past him and into her room, closing the door. Kuroko set the bowl on the ground, careful not to spill its contents. Shadow all but flew to the bowl, scarfing down the rice.

"Whoa… Easy there." Kuroko said warily, not wanting him to choke. Shadow snorted as if disagreeing. _I should really get some cat food…_

"Today is Saturday. I'm going shopping, would you like to come..?" She asked him, and he stared back at her. Shadow nodded, jumping on her shoulders. She crept out of her room, grabbing her bag and wallet, and out the front door. Her house was close to a subway, and she took that to the local supermarket, which was in a place with many other stores. Stopping in front of the subway station, the told Shadow,

"You'll need to hide in my bag." After receiving a glare, she hurriedly continued.

"We're not supposed to bring pets on the subway…" Shadow leapt off her shoulders and into her bag. Kuroko gently closed it and bought her ticket. Ticket in hand, she stepped into the subway.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko found a seat in the nearly empty subway, and sat down, relieved the she wouldn't have to stand. The stop to the stores was a long one, taking at least 30 minutes. She peeked into her bag; afraid she would of squished the kitten. Shadow's black eyes gleamed in the darkness. Kuroko closed the bag with a sigh of relief, and placed it carefully on her lap. Her relief didn't last long though, because after the last stop, more people filed in. Stop after stop citizens crowded in, and Kuroko, out of common courtesy gave her seat to an elderly person, was standing, and squished between to large men. She cradled the bag, forming a protective barrier around it. Finally, the subway reached her destination. She pushed herself out the door, barley making it in time before the doors closed. Kuroko checked her bag again, and after confirming Shadow was still alive, walked out of the train station and into the bright sun.

Kuroko opened her bag and let Shadow out. He gave his pelt a quick shake before turning to follow Kuroko, who was walking in the direction of a pet store. Kuroko glanced behind her, eyes widening immediately as Shadow was picked up by a red-haired girl who looked slightly familiar. She rushed over to the stranger.

"Excuse me, that's my cat…" Kuroko said, holding her hands out.

"There's no collar. Who says he belongs to _you_?" The girl asked her snottily.

"H-He's my cat…" Kuroko repeated, inwardly cursing herself. Kuroko, since she was little had a stuttering problem when she was nervous or afraid. But she had a determined look on her face, willing to do anything to get Shadow back.

"Oh _really_ now… It seems as if he likes me better" Redhead, the name Kuroko dubbed her, said, pressing her cheek against Shadow's. He hissed, squirming to try to get away._ Uh-Huh. Sure he does. _Kuroko thought, but not daring to voice her thoughts.

"C-Can I have him back?"

"No. He doesn't belong to you. He's _mine._" Shadow squirmed desperately, hissing like there was no tomorrow. He finally managed to escape her clutches, dashing over to Kuroko and standing by her, glaring at Redhead. Redhead pushed her black glasses up and humphed.

"_Fine._ But I will get you back." She promised Shadow, turning and walking away, shaking her hips in a ridiculous fashion. Kuroko sighed, and squatted down to look at Shadow, petting him on the head. Surprisingly, he didn't resist, glaring in the other direction.

"Lets go Shadow. We need to get some stuff for you."

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

So… I like this chapter

My other chapters might not be as long as this one, I was just really bored today… If you would like me to continue to write chapters this length, please say so. It might take some more time though.

Thanks for reading~

Please review; I love feedback from my readers! I'm flame friendly~

_**Question:**_ Should I have Naruto and Sakura come into the story as well?

Or any other characters..? Like Team 7 could all be together…

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto!

**~Author Note~**

Thanks to Uzumaki Writer15, Mikes0me, and JuliaAbadeerSkellington for reviewing~

Uzumaki Writer15~ Not the puppy dog eyes! JK, sure I'd be happy to keep writing.

Mikes0me~ Sasuke-_chan_..? Ha-ha lol. Naruto or someone should call him that. I would love to see his reaction.

JuliaAbadeerSkellington~ Thanks for your advice! I'll think about it~

Chapter 4

x-x-x-x

Kuroko walked into the nearest pet store, Shadow on her shoulders. Glancing around, she found a sign reading; Cats. She walked over to that section, and was surprised at how many different kinds of food there were. Nudging Shadow, she asked,

"Any preferences?" Shadow hopped off her shoulders, and looked at each one. He huffed and hopped back onto her shoulders.

"No..? You picky eater… Oh well, I guess you could live off of canned fish or something…" She walked to the next aisle, and stopped before the litter boxes. She snickered. Shadow glared.

"You _do _need somewhere to use the bathroom…" Shadow gave her a low growl.

"Okay, okay. Just, go outside or something. Not in my room though." Kuroko went to the next aisle, which had toys of various kinds. She set Shadow down. He walked down the aisle, sniffing at various toys. Kuroko giggled to herself, finding it amusing that Shadow was taking interest to toys. She reached for the top shelf, grabbing the box of catnip. _I'll buy one of these._

x-x-x-x

After checking out, Kuroko went over to the supermarket, Shadow tagging behind. He seemed interested in everything, as if it was a whole new world to him. Kuroko entered the supermarket, walking to the canned foods section. She selected a couple cans of tuna and chicken.

"I really hope this doesn't make you sick…" She told Shadow, who snorted in response. She paid for them, as well as two plastic bowls, and exited. Kuroko checked her watch; it was noon. She could make one last stop before having to return home. Scanning the area, she decided that the last stop she would make is to the bookstore. Kuroko squatted down, motioning for Shadow to hop on her shoulders. He complied. Kuroko opened the door to the bookstore, and the smell of new books hit her like a tidal wave. The bookstore and library the two places she loved to go. She wandered around for a while, before stopping at the manga and graphic novel section. She set Shadow down, watching quizzically as he took sudden interest in the Naruto series.

"What are you looking at Shadow..?" Kuroko asked, puzzled at how Shadow stiffened as he looked at the front cover. He picked up the first volume and dropped in front of her.

"You want me to buy this..? Okay…" She picked up the manga and headed to the checkout desk. The old man working there smiled at her and took the manga from her hands.

"That'll be $8.87 please." He told her, and she gave him nine dollars. After receiving her change, she walked out the door.

x-x-x-x

Riding the subway home wasn't as bad as the morning; people were still at work. Once she arrived home, she gulped and unlocked the door.

"Kuroko! Where were you?!" Her mom screeched, Kuroko wincing from the harsh noise.

"I was shopping…" She replied hesitantly, unsure if what she said was the right answer to calm her mother.

"Shopping? _Shopping?! _ If your darling sister hadn't of told us that you were gone, who knows what would've happened to you!" Her mother continued, anger lever rising dangerously.

"I-I'm sorry mother…" This is where things get _bad._ Ironically, when her sister is away, nobody notices her. But when she's here, then everyone notices her, and every _bad thing_ she does. Even when it wasn't her fault.

"Sorry? _Sorry?!_" Her mother's harsh voice echoed through out the house, her footsteps stomping angrily and she marched to the front door. Kuroko's eyes widened in fear, when her mom snapped, she _snapped_. Kuroko hurriedly set her bag down by the shoe-cubby, preparing herself for the worst. Her mother came storming down the hall, shouting as she went.

"Kuroko! Why can't you be like your older sister?! She's perfect! And what are you?!" She stood in front of Kuroko, hand raised and ready to slap.

"You're stupid, and ugly. You're a whore, a prostitute. You're worst than a piece. Of. _Shit_." Her mother told her angrily, slapping her for every word. Kuroko's cheek stung, her eyes watering. But she didn't dare say anything back. _I could've been worse._ She told herself. Little did she know that she had just jinxed herself. Her mother spat at her.

"Someone like _you_ doesn't _deserve_ to live in my house. But I'm going to be nice and let this one slip. Don't dare show your face during dinner or I'll reconsider." Kuroko's mother punched her in the face once more, before turning to head back from where ever hellhole she came from. Kuroko gave out a quiet sob, picking up her bag and heading up stairs. She passed by her sister on the way. Her sister sneered.

"What happened _Kuro-chan_? Did mother snap again? Were you a _bad _girl? I thought you learned your lesson last time. Better learn to be good before she does it again." Kuroko rushed into her room, trying no to break out into tears in front of her sister.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Hello again everyone~

Wow… I must really be bored… How's the length on this one..?

Please review~ I'd appreciate it~


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed~

I will try my hardest to keep the chappies long!

Chapter 5

x-x-x-x

Kuroko retreated into her room, tears running down her face. She set her bag down before rushing to her bathroom, slamming it shut. Inside, she retrieved the first aid kit she saved for times like this. Luckily, her sister was in collage now and Kuroko didn't see her much. She peered into the mirror, examining the damage. _Just a black eye and a swollen cheek._ Nothing she couldn't handle. Taking out the bottle of painkillers, she took one out and swallowed it with tap water. She opened the door only to find Shadow waiting on the other side. He glanced at her questioningly.

"Sorry you had to go through that…" Kuroko apologized, casting him a wry smile. She opened her window, looking sorrowfully outside.

"Here, you must be tired of being in here. I'll leave the window open so you can come in and out as you please." She grabbed her pajamas and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. As she brushed, she studied herself in the mirror. She had chocolate brown hair that reached her mid-back and warm lavender eyes. Her sister had blond hair and blue eyes; eyes from their father and hair from their mother. Kuroko's hair was from their father, and eyes from her mother. She sighed before spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing out her mouth. Opening the door, she realized that Shadow had left. She choked down a sob, and tucked herself in bed. Never before had she felt so alone. Kuroko began to cry, tears flowing down her face and onto the soft, downy pillow. The poor girl cried herself to sleep that night.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko slept until mid-afternoon. She woke up feeling like there had been something ripped out of her, and someday she knew that if she didn't find it she would end up with a gaping hole in her chest, never to be fixed again. She franticly searched her bedroom, only to notice that Shadow had yet to appear. Determined not to let that ruin her mood, she thought of happy thoughts, and sat down to begin her homework, leaving her window open _just in case._ Although she tried profusely to concentrate, her thoughts kept wandering to Shadow. _I wonder where he is now… _Kuroko sighed, knowing her attempts to concentrate were fruitless. She changed quickly into a slightly large white t-shirt and thigh-length lavender skirt. Carefully sneaking out on her roof, not caring if she was barefoot. Kuroko carefully dropped down from the roof, holding back a scream. She winced as her feet hit the pavement, but quickly crept away from her house.

Kuroko wandered around her neighborhood for a while, trying to clear her mind of her favorite obsidian black kitten. She walked to the subway, before realizing she had no money. She sighed, and wandered around some more, her feet aching from the rough gravel. After passing through a dark alley and reaching a dead end, she turned around to head back only to spot some drunken men heading her direction.

"Hey cutie. Want to have some fun?" One of them asked, before another added,

"We don't take no for an answer bitch." Kuroko fought the urge to scream and turned to run the other direction, only to realize that it was the dead end. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched them shuffle closer and closer. She backed up until her back hit the wall. The men grabbed her, and started to tug at her clothes.

"S-Stop it!" Kuroko shouted with a quavering voice, and began to struggle.

"Oh you're such a bad girl. Can't have you escaping, can we now?" One of the drunk men slurred, holding a knife to her neck. Kuroko froze in fear. The man laughed, clutching his stomach. The knife slashed through her shirt, exposing her bra. One of the men reached out to touch her breast, squeezing roughly. Kuroko yelped in pain, her eyes filling with tears. Another man thrust his leg in between hers, causing Kuroko to pray. _Please. Somebody help me please. _As if her prayers were heard, a black blob flew past her and tackled the man touching her chest. He howled in pain, giving Kuroko a change to catch a glimpse of her savior. _Shadow!_ Kuroko realized with a jolt. _He didn't abandon me after all._ She heard more yowls and saw blotches of grey, pink, and yellow attack the other men. As the man with his leg between hers was tackled to the ground, she regained movement and rushed past the fight and out of the alley, only to run into another one. Kuroko tripped, falling into dirty crates. She tried to stand up, but as her adrenaline rush ended, so did her resolve to stand up. She stilled, and eventually lost conscious.

Kuroko woke up to some loud meowing. A yellow kitten sat next to her, yowling like there was no tomorrow. A pink kitten hissed at it, and the meowing stopped immediately. Shadow was sitting not too far away, next to a grey cat. Kuroko sat up, before taking a look at her companions. The yellow kitten had bright azure blue eyes, and the pink cat had emerald green ones. She turned to look at the cat sitting beside Shadow. It had very particular eyes; the right one black and left one red. All four cats turned to stare at her.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you for reading~

Guess who the new kitties are~ Should I add any more..?

(I've gotten a suggestion of the members of Team Taka... or Hebi)

Please review~


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

I tried to make this chapter long…

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Chapter 6

x-x-x-x

Kuroko fidgeted awkwardly under all the feline's stares.

"U-Um… Thank you all so very much for helping me out in that… that uncomfortable situation." Kuroko said gratefully. They all nodded, the yellow one jumping into her lap and purring. The grey cat snickered, while the pink one yowled angrily. The yellow kitten flushed after realizing it was nuzzling Kuroko's chest. It didn't help to remember that her shirt was torn and she was only wearing her bra.

"It's okay little one," Kuroko cooed, "I know you didn't do it intentionally." The grey cat snickered again. Kuroko hugged the yellow kitten tightly, and gave a half-hearted glare at the grey cat.

"Oh shush you…" She told it, completely unaware that the yellow kitten was bright red and about to faint. It gave out a pleading mew, and Kuroko glanced down.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" She blushed and apologized immediately, releasing it. The poor kitten was swaying side-to-side, oblivious to the pink kitten's meowing. _I must have suffocated him…_ Kuroko thought, she had large breasts; another trait inherited from her _oh-so-wonderful_ mother.

"So… Shadow, are these your friends..?" Kuroko asked and the yellow kitten started to meow loudly, or what looked like laughing. Shadow huffed and glared at it. Kuroko stood up, holding her shirt together.

"Do you have a place to stay..? You could come live with me…" Kuroko suggested. The pink kitten meowed sorrowfully, while the gray cat nodded in confirmation.

"Okay then, lets go." Kuroko turned to walk towards her house, the kittens and cat following her.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko stood in front of her house, under her window. Luckily, there was a tree she could climb to enter her room through her window. She began to climb, hopping onto the roof. The felines followed, scaling the tree with ease. Climbing into the window, Kuroko flinched as he sudden dull ache in her feet returned. She examined a foot, which had rocks imbedded in it. _Ouch…_ She hobbled into her bathroom, and took out the first aid kit once again. Using tweezers, she carefully removed the rocks. Wincing, Kuroko disinfected her foot, and ambled back to her bathroom to put the first aid kit away. Before heading back to her bedroom, she stopped to glance at herself in the mirror. Kuroko's shirt was torn, and her clothes and face was streaked with dirt. She scrunched up her nose in disgust. A loud meowing interrupted her thoughts. The yellow kitten was looking at her in concern, while the pink kitten seemed obsessed with looking at Shadow. Shadow and the grey cat seemed in a deep conversation. The yellow kitten pranced up to her, rubbing its fuzzy head against her leg.

"Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine." Kuroko told him reassuringly. All the kittens turned to look at her.

"You're probably hungry…" Kuroko thought out loud, searching for her bag, which contained the canned meat. Shadow huffed and dragged it out of the corner.

"Oh thank you Shadow!" Kuroko praised, scratching him behind the ears. He purred loudly, but stopped immediately as the yellow kitten began to snicker. Even the grey cat looked amused. Shadow leapt away from her, looking flustered and embarrassed. Kuroko giggled softly, only to turn and notice the hostile glare coming from the pink kitten. After a moment of awkward silence, Kuroko grabbed her bag and peered at the contents. She took out the canned food, plastic bows, and the box of catnip. Placing them on the table, she remembered the Naruto book she'd bought. Taking the manga out, she also took out her wallet and cat toys. Placing the manga and toys on the floor, the stood up and looked at the cans. Luckily for her, they were the peel-back-and-open kind. She took a can of tuna and opened it, putting its contents into one of the plastic bowls. Taking the other bowl, she filled it with tap water from the bathroom. Grabbing the two bowls, she set them on the floor.

"Um… Shadow..? Why don't you bring your friends over here so you guys can eat." Kuroko called out, and after getting no reply, she walked over to where they sat, puzzled at how no one came. The three kittens and cats sat around the Naruto manga Kuroko had placed on the floor before.

"Are you guys okay..?" Kuroko asked after a moment of silence, watching as the yellow kitten placed its paw in the front cover.

"Would you like me to read it to you..?" She asked and was answered by a chorus of meows.

"Okay, but you guys have to eat first. The food is over there, and I'm going to sneak down stairs to get some for myself." Kuroko said, standing up and creeping out her bedroom door. She carefully snuck down the stairs, and after checking her surroundings, scurried into the kitchen. Deciding to get something that was quick and easy to make, she quickly started the kettle for some hot water. Opening the pantry, she grabbed two cup-ramens, not caring which flavor they were. Once the water was boiling, she poured the scalding water into each cup, filling it to the line. Kuroko then quickly emptied the kettle of what water was lets, and grabbed a pair of chopsticks before hurrying back up the stairs.

x-x-x-x

After safely making it back to her bedroom, she was immediately greeted by the yellow kitten's yowling. It ran up to her and began to prance around.

"What..?" Kuroko wondered, setting the cup-ramens down and squatting so she could see the yellow kitten more clearly. The pink cat appeared out of nowhere, paw raised and ready to strike.

"Whoa! Please don't fight!" Kuroko said, exasperated. She scooped the yellow kitten up before the pink one could hit it. The yellow kitten yowled in delight, stretching to try to reach where she'd placed the cup-ramens, while the pink kitten glared at her and huffed.

"You want the ramen..?" Kuroko asked, and was answered with even more meowing and squirming.

"Okay… But I'm not sure if a kitten like you can digest it…" Kuroko told it before stetting it down. She walked over to where the bowls were, noticing that the water was gone and tuna half finished. She briefly wondered where Shadow and the grey cat were, but dismissed the thought and picked up both bowls. She walked over to the bathroom, flushing down the rest of the tuna and cleaning out both bowls. Kuroko then walked back to where the ramen was, and carefully poured half a cup into each.

"Here's some you go..." She said hesitantly, and the yellow kitten came running to her. It meowed happily and began to scarf some down. Shadow and the gray cat appeared, and began to eat from the other bowl. The pink kitten came, noticing that the bowl Shadow was using was currently occupied by the grey cat, and the only empty bowl had the yellow one pigging out. It pouted, obviously upset. Kuroko decided to be nice. She picked up the pink kitten, placing it by her ramen. The pink cat snarled at her, but Kuroko just smiled and pointed to her ramen.

"You could have some of mine if you like…" She told it kindly. The kitten gave her a look, and then began to eat. Once all the cats had their fill, Kuroko grabbed the Naruto book and sat in her bed. She patted the spot beside her and motioned for them to sit. They complied.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you for reading~ Please review!

(Reviews only take a second and it gives me inspiration to write more!)

I probably won't have much time on the weekdays to post chapters, although I _can_ promise that I'll add _at least_ 1 chapter a week.

(Might be more though~)


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thanks to JuliaAbadeerSkellington and others who reviewed~

Chapter 7

x-x-x-x

Kuroko turned to the first page in Naruto. She began to read out loud.

"Naruto, volume 1. Uzumaki Naruto." Kuroko continued to read how Naruto painted on the Great Hokage Mountain, how he got in trouble and had to clean it up. After reading the first volume, she turned to look at the kitten's reactions. They all looked flabbergasted.

"You know," Kuroko said to the yellow kitten, "You do remind me of the main character, having the same eyes, hair, and loving ramen the way he does..." The yellow kitten froze, eyes widening. _Why do they all have the same reaction every time I mention Naruto..?_

"Why do you guys all have that reaction when I mention Naruto..?" Kuroko decided to voice her thoughts. The yellow kitten started meowing franticly, pawing at the front cover of the manga.

"Are… Are you familiar with the book..?" The kitten nudged the book, and Kuroko opened it to the title page. The kitten nudged it once again, and Kuroko flipped through the pages, stopping at a random page with all three main characters in it. The pink and yellow kitten pawed at Sakura and Naruto's picture, while Shadow just huffed and looked in the other direction much like Sasuke. _They all look like the characters… The yellow on would be Naruto, the pink one Sakura, and Shadow Sasuke… That would explain the pink kitten's obsession with Shadow, the yellow kitten's obsession with ramen, and Shadow's glares and cold attitudes…_ Then it hit her.

x-x-x-x

"No way… You guys can't be characters from a manga, that's _impossible._" Kuroko said with a laugh, briefly questioning her own sanity. She started laughing at herself for thinking such _ridiculous_ thoughts. Her laughing ceased as she noticed the serious looks on their faces.

"You can't be serious…" She deadpanned. The yellow kitten, or _Naruto_, looked at her with hopeful eyes, nodding. _They _are _serious…_ Kuroko realized with a jolt.

"So Shadow, you're Sasuke..?" He nodded in confirmation.

"And you two are Naruto and Sakura..?" They nodded as well. Kuroko turned to look at the remaining cat.

"You're…" She trailed off, lost.

"Who _would _you be..?" The cat's eyes danced, clearly amused at her puzzlement. Kuroko stuck her tongue out childishly, walking over to her desk, and taking out her laptop, starting it up. She typed in Naruto.

"Look, there's an anime. Want to see?" The cats nodded, and Kuroko clicked on it. Then they spent the next thirty minutes watching Naruto.

Kuroko watched as the kittens looked at the anime in amazement, and clicked the next anime. They watched Naruto until evening, Kuroko eventually figuring out who the grey cat was.

"Aha! So you're Kakashi-sensei!" She shouted in triumph, the grey cat nodding. She yawned, tired, and turned off her laptop. Shuffling over to grab he pajamas, she told Team 7,

"I'm going to change so you four find places to sleep." She went into the bathroom and shut the door, hurriedly changing and brushing her teeth. She came out and noticed the kitten's various positions. Naruto was snuggled comfortably against her pillows, already snoring and asleep, Kakashi on the foot of her bed. Sakura was perched on Kuroko's dresser, watching Sasuke, who was in his corner. Kuroko crept to her bed, careful not to wake Naruto. She picked him up gently, and slipped into bed, placing him back on the pillows. She snuggled under the covers, and examined Naruto's face. His whisker marks were there, although barley visible. Kuroko watched his sleep for a while, and then set her timer to wake her up in the morning. After all, it was school tomorrow. She looked into the corner of her room, Sasuke's gleaming eyes staring back at her.

"Good night Sasuke." She murmured sleepily before joining Naruto in the wonderful embrace of dreamland.

x-x-x-x

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Ugg… Somebody shut that thing off…" Kuroko growled, and the beeping stopped. She cracked open her eyes to look at who had stopped the bloody alarm. Obsidian eyes stared back at her, Sasuke smirking and standing on her alarm clock. Kuroko stretched out her arms to hug her savior, effectively grabbing him and scooping him up to snuggle with. She cuddled with him for a while, cooing at how grateful she was. Kuroko would have snuggled with Sasuke all day if Sakura weren't giving her the stink-eye. She reluctantly set him down, grabbing her school uniform and heading to the bathroom to change. Naruto pranced up to her, his fur messed up and looking absolutely adorable. She squealed and dropping her uniform, snatched him up and crushed him. Naruto wheezed, squirming to try and breathe.

"Whoops…" Kuroko apologized, releasing him. Naruto lay sprawled out on the ground for a while, taking deep breathes. _Drama queen. _Kuroko thought, giggling to herself. Kakashi walked up in front of her, looking expectantly at her as if saying, _What about me..?_ in a joking manner, eyes dancing in amusement.

"Okay, you asked for it…" Kuroko told him, running to grab him only to miss and crash to the floor. She tried again, Kakashi dodging her arms once again. After many futile attempts, she reluctantly gave up, picking up her uniform and heading back to her bathroom. Quickly changing into her uniform; a short blue skirt, white t-shirt with a blue ribbon, and knee-length white socks, she exited her bathroom and grabbed her backpack.

"Okay. I have to go to school, and I think I need to set down some rules. Rule one; no fighting," She pointedly glanced at Naruto and Sakura, then Naruto and Sasuke, "although I think Kakashi would keep you three in line…" Kuroko walked over to her window and opened it.

"I'll leave the window open, so you guys can explore outside. Just try not to get caught by the pound or something." Sasuke snorted. Kuroko shrugged.

"It might happen…" She grabbed a can of chicken and opened it, filling a bowl. She took the other bowl to her bathroom, and filled it with water, and then placing them both on the ground.

"I know you might prefer ramen, but this is all I've got now… Just be good kitties and behave while I'm gone." Waving to them, Kuroko walked out of the bedroom, closing the door, and exited the house.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko walked to school, wondering how characters from and anime would appear in her world. After pondering about this for a while, she shrugged if off and continued her walk to high school. The day wen by pretty quickly, in Kuroko's opinion, and soon the bell signaling the end of the school day rang. She gathered her stuff and walked out the classroom, and down the hallway. Stopping by her locker, she opened it to reveal a _wonderful_ surprise. Some idiot had set a bucket of ice-cold water on top, and opening the locker would trigger its fall. Immediately, Kuroko was drenched from head to toe in cold water. She inwardly cursed herself for not noticing such a cheap trick. The sound of someone pealing in laughter knocked her out of her stupor.

"Ha! Look at the nobody! Drenched now, aren't you? Too bad your kitten won't like you anymore! Might as well hand him over!" An all too familiar redhead snickered, earning laughter of her companions. Kuroko flushed in embarrassment, quickly putting her stuff in her locker and grabbing her backpack, trying to get away before any more embarrassing events happened. Redhead's groupies suddenly appearing at the end of the hall, effectively cutting off any chance to escape.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Wahahaha~ Kuroko's in trouble now~

…I'm evil, aren't I?

_Anyways, _thank you all for reading, and please review~


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you to Annabel Chase, Duchess K, JuliaAbadeerSkellington, and WRose for reviewing~

Chapter 8

x-x-x-x

Kuroko began to panic. She was surrounded, unable to escape.

"How about you hand over the kitten now, and we'll let this slip." Redhead sneered, holding out her hand.

"He's at home. Why do you want him anyway..?" Kuroko asked incredulously.

"Such a shame… You could have left unharmed…" Redhead said, taking a step forward. Kuroko automatically took a step back. Redhead started to advance, Kuroko watching with wide eyes.

"Get her!" Redhead snapped, and her little minions grabbing Kuroko's arms before she could even make an effort to dodge. They pinned her to the wall, Redhead smirking in her face.

"Want to know why I want your little cat..?" She pulled a bottle out of her pocket.

"This is a special kind of candy. You use it to make animals humans, and vise-versa. Your looks handsome, and I want him!" She raised a hand to punch her, but before her fist could make contact, Kuroko ducked, the fist ending up colliding with the wall. Redhead hissed in pain, her eyes watering.

"Karin-sama!" Her so-called-followers cried, rushing over to help their wounded leader. Kuroko took the chance to dash down the hall towards the exit while they were distracted.

"You idiots, look! She's getting away!" _Karin _snarled, pointing in the direction Kuroko fled. Kuroko on the other hand, was running as fast as her legs would carry her, rushing out the doors to the school. She was out of the school grounds before daring to turn to look back. Karin and her gang had yet to catch up, so Kuroko ran all the way home, sprinting as if her life depended on it.

x-x-x-x

When Kuroko reached her house, she breathed out a sigh of relief. Unlocking the door, she snuck inside, careful not to alert her mother to her presence.

"I wonder what they've done to my room…" She mused out loud, opening the door to her room. The inside was untouched, to Kuroko's relief, and the Naruto characters sat on her bed, glancing in her direction as she stepped in.

"Okay you guys, I've got news." Kuroko announced before setting her backpack down and sitting on her bed. She picked up Naruto and began to pet him.

"There's a girl in my school named Karin. Sasuke, you've met her before." He nodded, inwardly shuddering at the memory.

"She wants Sasuke, stating today that he was "handsome"." Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Karin has a bottle of candies, claiming to have the powers to turn animals into humans and vise-versa." To this piece of information, all four cat's eyes widened. Naruto looked up at her from her lap, meowing excitedly.

"Exactly. If we could somehow get our hands on those candies, we could turn you guys back to humans!" Kuroko finished, Naruto leaping off her lap and began to prance around. Kuroko grabbed her bag and stood up.

"Lets go kitties. We have a house to rob."

x-x-x-x

Kuroko walked down the street, kittens trailing after her, wondering where Karin would live. _Maybe we'll have to use bait…_ Kuroko thought, sneaking a glance at Sasuke. The Uchiha was currently on her shoulder, looking around for red hair.

"Okay, new plan. Looking for her house is futile, so we're going to have _handsome _Sasuke draw her out." Kuroko announced, smirking at Sasuke. He huffed grumpily. She set him down and made shooing motions with her hands.

"Go on… Work your magic." She said, and was received an infamous Uchiha glare. Or in Kuroko's opinion, a constipated kitty face. She cracked-up, pealing with laughter. Sasuke, not finding this amusing at all, effectively cut her off by jumping on her head. Using that as leverage, he leapt behind her, dashing away from view. Kuroko somewhat dazed, turned around and snorted. Kuroko, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi then wandered around, waiting for Sasuke to lure Karin and steal the candy. They heard a yowl and immediately rushed to the direction of the sound.

"Hello miss nobody." Karin sneered, adjusting her glasses and turning to face Kuroko, pretending as if she hadn't just tripped and fell flat on her face in an attempt to catch Sasuke.

"Good evening Karin." Kuroko said, her gaze shifting to where Sasuke stood. She patted her thigh, and Sasuke obediently came to her side. Karin frowned, and dud through her gigantic purse. While searching for something, a bunch of random things fell out, including three bottles of mascara, at least ten different kinds of lipstick, condoms, (Kuroko scrunched up her nose in disgust) and the bottle of candy. Sakura dashed over and snatched it before Karin could notice, giving it to Kuroko, who put it in her bag.

"Aha!" Karin shouted in triumph, breaking the awkward silence. She held out a perfume bottle, spritzing herself at least five times before stuffing it and the other things back into her purse. The four cats looked hazy, eyes glazing over. They began to purr and walk towards Karin as if in a trance. Kuroko realized that the only thing that could bend the ninja's resolve was catnip. Karin began to cackle.

"Come to mommy!" Karin cooed, and scooped up Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi. But before she could pick Sakura as well, Kuroko snatched the pink kitten and turned to flee back home.

"Scared, aren't you? Well, fine. I got what I came for." Karin sneered, and strutted back home, hauling the poor kittens like sacks of potatoes.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko sat in her room with Sakura, trying to think up a plan to save the three Konoha ninjas. She glanced at Sakura, who was pointedly ignoring her. Kuroko sighed in exasperation.

"I know we aren't the best of buddies, but in order to save your team-mates, we'll have to work together…" Kuroko pleaded, and remembering the candy, reached to grab her bag.

"How would you like to become human again so we can talk like civilized people..?" She suggested, and Sakura looked at her, interested. Kuroko opened the bottle and took a candy out. She held it between her thumb and forefinger, inspecting the candy. It was a pale pink color, and was smooth and round like a marble. She held it out to Sakura.

"Here." She said, and watched in curiosity as Sakura swallowed it. There was a loud poof, and a very naked Sakura appeared, with pink cat ears and a tail. Kuroko scrambled to her dresser, hurriedly picking out a change of clothes, and giving it to Sakura. She put it on, and looked at her tail with curiosity.

"Maybe if you take another candy, the tail and ears will disappear…" Kuroko suggested, and handed Sakura another one. She took it, and the tail and ears immediately disappeared.

"So, what's our plan to save Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi..?" Kuroko asked, and Sakura stood up.

"Lets just sneak in and grab 'em!" She declared. Kuroko sweat-dropped.

"I don't think that'll work…" She replied slowly. Then her face brightened.

"Can you use your chakra?" Kuroko asked excitedly. Sakura furrowed her brows and held out her hands.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

How was the length?

Are the characters too OOC..?

Do you guys have any suggestions for the plot?


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you very much to JuliaAbadeerSkellington, Annabel Chase, and FireStar for reviewing~

Annabel Chase~ I'm sorry that if not clear… I think both.

Chapter 9

x-x-x-x

Sakura held out her hands, a warm green glow emitting from them. Kuroko fist-pumped, cheering.

"Yes!" She cried, but sobered immediately.

"We can't hurt any one, or destroy anything…" Kuroko muttered. She shrugged, and grabbed her bag with the bottle of candies. Sneaking to her father's room, she grabbed a plaid boxer from his underwear drawer. Blushing, she turned to Sakura and explained quickly,

"We might turn one of them back, so just in case." She whispered. Heading back to her room, she opened the window and hopped onto the roof.

"Lets go!" She shouted, and carefully sliding off the roof and onto the driveway. Jumping up, she took off in search of Karin, Sakura close behind her.

"Where do you think Karin is..?" Sakura asked, glancing around.

"I don't actually know…" Kuroko murmured, slowing her running to a jog.

"Can you sense their chakra?" She asked, and Sakura stopped to concentrate.

"It's very faint… But I can feel it from this direction." She exclaimed, and turned to run towards a dark tunnel. Kuroko raced after her, panting and beginning to feel tired. Sakura ran unto the tunnel, her pastel pink hair disappearing from view. Kuroko stopped, unable to keep up and placed her hands on her knees, wheezing. After a couple minutes of rest, she determinedly began running in the direction Sakura had disappeared.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko sprinted into the dark tunnel, and saw a speck of light in the distance. She grinned, and ran harder, feet pounding on concrete. At the end of the tunnel, Kuroko curiously looked around. She was apparently in a cave, and judging by the loud meows, Naruto was in here too. She was about to call out to Karin and demand the kittens back, but a hand grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and dragged her back. She turned to look at her captor. Sakura squatted next to her, a finger placed over her lips.

"Sasuke and the others are here." She whispered, and dragged Kuroko behind another rock, closer to the loud mewling.

"Judging by the obnoxious meowing, Naruto is probably here too, complaining about ramen or something." Sakura dragged Kuroko to another rock once more.

"I'll throw you to the cages they're trapped in, so you feed someone a candy to help them break free." Without warning, she picked up Kuroko and threw her like a football. Kuroko held back a scream as she was hurled through the air, landing gracelessly on the ground. She groaned, and rubbed her sore bottom. Looking around, she noticed cages by a large clump of rocks. Her heart thumped loudly as she spotted Sasuke. Taking out a candy and placing it in her palm, she crawled over to them. The yowling became louder, becoming so annoying that a vein popped on Kuroko's head. Once Kuroko was close to the cages, she whispered quietly,

"Naruto! Shut up already!" She reached Naruto's cage and explained the plan.

"I'm going to give you a candy, okay? Don't worry, it works. After swallowing it, I want you to change into these," She held out the boxer and flushed, "and use a jutsu to escape the cage." He nodded quickly, and after placing the underwear in the cage, held out the candy to Naruto. But before she could turn around, Naruto gulped down the candy. A poof echoed throughout the cave and with a flushed face and a shriek, Kuroko spun around. For she had just noticed that Naruto, was very much _not _dickless.

x-x-x-x

After finally recovering from seeing Naruto's non-clothed body, she slowly turned around. Naruto had broken the cage and was helping Sasuke and Kakashi. Sakura appeared out of nowhere, and Kuroko felt a hint of jealousy, watching Sakura crouch down by Sasuke and murmur words of comfort. _They have been teammates since childhood._ Kuroko thought bitterly. _I could never mean as much as Sakura to Sasuke. All he would ever see me as is the person who helped him when he was "Shadow". _A tear slipped down her face, and Kuroko quickly dashed it away with her sleeve. _I can't even compare to Sakura. She's a strong, smart kunoichi, and what am I? Just an average girl who isn't very good at anything. Plain-Jane. _Kuroko thought dejectedly. More tears started to fall down her face, and she swiped at them desperately. Kakashi noticed this and walked up to her. Glancing at her sympathetically, he hopped onto her lap, nuzzling her. This action only caused Kuroko to cry more, only managing to keep her sobs quiet. _I'm probably selfish. Sasuke would never be meant for me, he barley even knows me… _

"Kuroko..? Are you okay?" Naruto asked, shocked at her suddenly crying. She wiped away her tears and gently nudging Kakashi off her lap, handed him five candies from the container. One for himself, and two for Sasuke and Kakashi. She also handed him her wallet, so he could buy them clothes.

"H-Here. Use this to buy clothes and necessities. Just don't spend it all on ramen, okay?" Kuroko said quickly, offering them all a bright, kind, but also immensely fake smile. She ran out of the cave, and back home before anyone could stop her.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko spent the rest of the day wallowing in her self-pity. She cried until there were no more tears left, and went down stairs to get a glass of water. Her mother caught her on the way up, demanding to know where she was. Kuroko didn't bother answering, only taking every one of her mother's slaps, punches, and kicks. She couldn't feel the physical abuse, couldn't hear her mother's harsh words. After her mother vented out all her anger, Kuroko limped back to her room, and took out her laptop, not bothering to treat her wounds. She turned on the laptop, and watched Naruto the whole night; heart clenching every time Sasuke appeared. After watching the last episode available that week, she shut her computer off, changed into pajamas, and went to bed.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko woke up to a rattling sound. Sitting up, she looked at her window. A paw was tapping on the glass. Kuroko got out of bed and walked over to her window. _Sasuke!_ She thought, and hurriedly opened the window. He leapt in, and Kuroko peered outside the window; apparently Sasuke had come alone. Her heart rate sped up, beating as if it hadn't in years. She looked at Sasuke.

"Why are you alone Sasuke..?" She asked, and Sasuke replied with a snort and a flick of the tail. Remembering he couldn't speak, she grabbed the bottle of candy and held one out to him. He snuffed, and turned away, refusing the candy. She held it out once more, trying to get him to eat it. He glared and turned away once more.

"Sasuke… if you don't eat the candy, you won't be able to speak for yourself…" Kuroko told him, and held out the candy. He glared half-heartedly.

"Please…" Kuroko begged. He sighed, and carefully grasped the candy with his teeth. Scrunching up his nose in disgust, he swallowed it. There was a poof, and a very naked Sasuke appeared in front of her. Kuroko meeped and spun around, face red. She held out her hand as if to say wait here, and rushed out the door. She hurried into her parent's room and took out a white shirt, jeans, and a boxer, then went back into her room.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you for reading!

Please review and Happy Halloween Eve~


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

I'm so sorry that my update's late… I got home late on Halloween and was too tired to write the next chapter.

Please forgive me! (Bows repeatedly)

Thank you very much to JuliaAbadeerSkellington and two other people (Guests) for reviewing!

Guest~ I'll try to make the chapters longer, but it would take longer. (Maybe one update in two days…) Nope, you're not asking too many questions~

Chapter 10

x-x-x-x

Kuroko hurried back to her room, and cracked open the door. Turning around, she thrust the clothes out to Sasuke.

"Here, put these on." She said while blushing, and quickly retracted her hand when she felt Sasuke take them. After a couple moments of silence, she knocked on her bedroom door.

"Sasuke..? Are you done?" She questioned, opening the door and peeking inside. Sasuke grunted, and Kuroko took that as a yes. She crept back inside, and sat on her bed, Sasuke sitting in her chair by the desk.

"Where's your team..?" Kuroko asked, inwardly wincing at the word _team_, her wounds from her earlier breakdown not quite healing yet. Sasuke's black eyes shifted to her, and Kuroko shuddered.

"I don't know." He replied. Kuroko cocked her head to one side, and felt a surge of pride fill her; Sasuke had chosen to see _her_, instead of staying with Sakura. _He probably is just checking on me to see if I was okay…_ She thought, quickly squashing down any hope, not wanting to feel the sensation of her heart breaking into thousands of pieces again. She glanced up shyly at Sasuke, looking at him for the first time in real life.

He looked the same as the in manga and anime, probably more in the Shuppuden time setting. His hair was messily spiked up, and cute fluffy black ears were twitching back and forth. Kuroko inwardly squealed, having a fan girl moment. His tail was swishing back and forth, and he turned to look at why he felt a stare. His obsidian eyes glanced at her, and Kuroko flushed. She fiddled with her fingers for a while, before deciding to break the awkward silence.

"I'm going to change." She told him and grabbed some clothes, and walked into her bathroom. Her outfit consisted of a light purple knee-high skirt, a white tank top, and white long socks. After brushing out her hair, she stepped out once more.

"Sasuke, you don't know where your team mates are?" She asked.

"Hn." Sasuke replied, staring at her. Kuroko hopped up, grabbing her bag and opening the door. She paused, and turned back to look at him.

"Lets go find them." She encouraged, giving him a smile. He stood up, and stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked over to her. She noticed his tail and grabbed the candies out of her bag.

"You should eat one of these…" Kuroko suggested, and he turned away with a huff.

"I don't like sweets." He muttered, tail twitching irritably.

"Sasuke, you should eat one so these," She tugged at his ears, "will disappear." A deep rumbling noise emitted from his chest, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. Curiously, Kuroko reached up again to scratch behind his ears. The purring became louder, and the blush redder. His eyes closed in pure pleasure, tail twitching uncontrollably. Kuroko flushed, and Sasuke cracked open his eyes. She stopped, and he let out a quiet, displeased growl.

"Hn." He grunted, and grabbed one of her baseball caps.

"I don't like sweets." He repeated, and put the hat on, tucking his tail in his jeans.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko walked out of her room with Sasuke, walking down the stairs and crashing into her sister. She tumbled back, Sasuke catching her. Her sister growled, but immediately stood up and brushed herself off after seeing Sasuke.

"Hello there handsome, I'm Hikari." She purred seductively, flashing him a smile. Quickly, she latched into him, stroking his chest. Sasuke stiffened.

"Want to have some fun..?" She asked, and Kuroko froze her eyes widening. Her face paled and she started to shake, remembering the dark alley with drunken men. Sasuke removed himself from Hikari's latch and grabbed Kuroko.

"She's with me." He said, eyes cold. Hikari pouted, and glared at Kuroko.

"Why her? I'm a hundred times better." She promised, batting her eyelashes. Sasuke glared some more, hugging Kuroko even more tightly. Kuroko snapped out of her stupor, and flushed when she saw the position they were in. She grabbed Sasuke's arm and steered him towards the door.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you Hikari… We'll be heading out now." Kuroko announced, putting on her shoes and offering Sasuke her dad's old sneakers. He took them and put them on as well. Kuroko waved good-bye to her now-very-angry sister and walked outside.

x-x-x-x

"Umm… Sasuke? What happened back there?" Kuroko asked. He looked at her incredulously.

"I wasn't paying attention…" She trailed off, flushing.

"I told your sister I wasn't interested and claimed you mine." Kuroko blushed hard, stumbling.

"I-I'm sorry to cause you any trouble…" She apologized, and Sasuke grunted.

"Say… Sasuke?" Kuroko asked after awhile.

"Can you use your sharingan?" He turned to her and blinked, sharingan activating. Kuroko halted, mesmerized by the blood red eyes. Sasuke caught her staring and looked at her questioningly.

"They're beautiful…" She said quietly, and leaned closer to examine them. After gazing deep into his eyes long enough, Sasuke perked up, looking north.

"I sense their chakra not far from here." He declared, and picked Kuroko up, leaping onto roofs. She shrieked, surprised and clutched onto him. He jumped from roof-to-roof, pausing frequently to check for their chakra. After finally stopping at a hotel, he gently set her down.

"They're here." He walked in, and dragged her behind him. Sasuke stopped at the counter, pointedly ignoring the clerk's stare.

"Is a yellow haired boy and pink haired girl here?" He asked, and she nodded, in a trance.

"I'd like to see them." She nodded again, and pointed down the hallway.

"Third door to the left." She said, not bothering to ask for a payment. Sasuke nodded and walked down the hall, Kuroko trailing after him. Sasuke knocked on the door, and Sakura poked her head out. Her eyes brightened when she saw Sasuke, but immediately hardened when she spotted Kuroko hiding halfway behind him, tugging at her sleeves nervously.

"Hello Sasuke-kun. How may I help you?" She asked him sweetly, and all but dragged him in, turning to slam the door on Kuroko. Sasuke stuck out his foot in the nick of time, holding it open for Kuroko. Sakura glared at Kuroko and dragged Sasuke once more down a hallway. Kuroko slowly trudged along, getting the feeling she wasn't welcome here. As she entered the room Sakura and Sasuke disappeared in, she was tackled into a hug.

"Kuroko! Where have you been? Why were you crying? Why was the bastard with you? Did he upset you?" Kuroko froze, unable to answer so many questions. Sakura snickered, and Naruto continued to shoot questions at her. Kuroko looked frantically around for help, and her eyes landed on Sasuke. Panicked, she rushed over to him and hid behind Sasuke's larger frame. He turned slightly and smirked. Sakura growled and yanked in Sasuke's arm.

"Sasuke-kun~ I think Kakashi-sensei might have a way to get us back to our own world." She crooned, and Sasuke followed her into another room, eyes dancing in amusement as he saw Kuroko's fear filled eyes as Naruto pounced on her.

"Come on Kuroko! Lets go too!" Naruto shouted, and picked her up by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. Mind you that she was wearing a skirt. She squealed, and flailed desperately, only to have Naruto's grip tighten. They walked into a bedroom where a now human Kakashi slept, a scarf wrapped around his mouth.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled, "Wake up!" Kakashi jolted out of sleep, looking alarmed but relaxing once he saw it was Naruto and Sakura. His eyebrows rose as he noticed the position Kuroko and Naruto were in. Kuroko flushed and wriggled some more to escape Naruto's clutches. Sasuke surprised everyone by grabbing her out of Naruto's grasp, and setting her down.

"What were you saying Sakura?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Kakashi-sensei figured out a way to get us back home!" Sakura said happily, shooting Kuroko a sneer. _Home..? Then I won't be able to see them ever again!_ Kuroko thought, realization dawning on her.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you for reading!

Please review~


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you to PurplePantherOfDoom, FireStar1, JuliaAbadeerSkellington, Duchess K, WRose, and Annabel Chase for reviewing!

PurplePantherOfDoom~ I'll try… But it will take longer, and since I have school… I don't have much time to type… I'll try though!

Chapter 11

x-x-x-x

_If they leave… I won't be able to see them ever again…_ Kuroko thought sadly, staring at the ground. _I'll become invisible again. Nobody will acknowledge me anymore._ Her eyes stung, tears beginning to form.

"Kuroko? What do you say?" Kakashi asked, and everyone turned to look at her.

"W-What? Sorry I was zoning out…" Kuroko admitted, blinking hard and tugging on her sleeves.

"I was asking if you could spare some more candies just in case before we go." He repeated, and Kuroko panicked.

"Y-You're leaving now?!" She gasped, and stumbled backward, eyes widening.

"Were you even listening?" Naruto complained, Sakura nodding in agreement.

"I-I'm sorry…" Kuroko hastily apologized.

"Why do you stutter so much?" Naruto asked, "You sound like Hinata."

"I tend to stutter when I'm afraid or nervous…" Kuroko replied, and tugged on her sleeve some more. She reached into the bag and pulled out the bottle of candy.

"Here." She gave it to Kakashi. He thanked her and tucked it away. Kuroko felt terror grip her.

"S-So you're leaving _now_?" She asked, sucking in her breath and braced herself for their answer.

"Yes. I'm afraid that if we don't leave soon, we'll become too attached to this world and its citizens." Kuroko stared at him incredulously. _Too attached? Does that_ _mean that they don't like me?_ Kuroko thought bitterly. _I knew I never had a chance with them. It's too much for a nobody like me to ask for such a thing. I was too selfish._ Kuroko's eyes watered, and she swiped at them with the back of her sleeve, determined not to have them pity her.

"Okay." Kuroko said, her voice now holding no emotion. She walked over to Sasuke, Sakura bristling. She reached up and tugged her hat off. His cute little kitten ears popped out. She tugged at them.

"Don't forget to give him a candy." She reminded them dully, and Sasuke twitched. She reached out to stroke them again, but Sasuke gently grabbed her hand. Although his face remained stoic, his eyes were pleading not to show his former teammates the weaker side of him. Kuroko sighed and put her hand down. She walked over to Kakashi, and held out her hand.

"Candy." She reminded him, and he took one out. She walked back over to Sasuke, and held it out to him. He snuffed and turned away, disliking the fact that he would have to eat candy once again.

"I don't like sweets." He said, and flattened his ears to his head. Kuroko held out the candy again, and reached up to touch his ears.

"Eat it." She commanded, and Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction. He gave her the look saying; you wouldn't _dare_…

"Oh, I dare." She replied to his silent threat, and began to rub his ears.

x-x-x-x

The effects were immediate. Sasuke stiffened, then began to purr uncontrollably, his tail coming out and wrapping around her waist, pulling her body flush against his. Sakura stood, mouth agape, and Kakashi stood to the side, looking very amused. Naruto started cackling, rolling on the ground, pealing with laughter. Kuroko continued to scratch his ears, Sasuke was flushed and nuzzled her, bending down so she could scratch more intensely. His forehead bumped against hers, eyes closed in pure pleasure, tail pulling her against him more than humanly possible.

"K-Kuroko's controlling S-Sasuke!" Naruto shouted out between fits of laughter, Sakura scowling. Kuroko reached up with her other hand and began to rub the other ear as well. Sasuke began to softly moan, tail tightening and pressing his body even closer to hers. Kuroko let go of one ear and started stroking his tail. His knees buckled, and he fell to the floor, taking her with him. Sakura screeched when she noticed the position they were in; Kuroko was straddling Sasuke, using both hands to pet his right ear and tail. Sasuke's face was now visibly flushed, and he moaned quietly once more. Kuroko only stopped because Sakura regained her movement and yanked her off of Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun! Are you okay?!" She asked worriedly, glaring at Kuroko. Kuroko shrugged and helped Sasuke up, who was red in the face and glaring at Naruto, who was still on the floor, breathing heavily.

"And that's why Sasuke needs his candy." Kuroko finished, red and slightly flustered at what had just happened. Sasuke gave her a glare, promising that someday, he would get her back for embarrassing him. She held out the candy again, and this time Sasuke took it. Making a disgusted face, he quickly swallowed it. There was a poof and Sasuke stood there, looking the same except for the lack of ears and tail. Kakashi coughed, and announced that they needed to get prepared to go back to the Naruto Universe. Naruto got up from the floor and began to bawl, running towards Kuroko.

"Kuroko~ I'll never get to see you ever again!" He cried, and glomped her. Kuroko eeped, and Sasuke smirked. After finally getting Naruto off her, she gently hugged Kakashi. Not bothering to hug Sakura, she settled with giving Sasuke a pat on the head.

"Stay out of trouble, okay guys?" She asked, eyes watering as they all nodded, except Sakura, like little children. She stood back as she watched Kakashi and the others prepare to return to their world.

They stood in a circle around Kakashi, who began a complex set of seals. Naruto began to sniffle, and turned to Kuroko.

"Don't forget me, okay?" He sobbed, and Kuroko smiled.

"Don't worry my little ramen-loving kitty-cat. I'll watch your show every week." She said, and tears began to fall from her face although she was smiling. _This is it._ She thought dejectedly. _They're leaving. After this, I'll just return to my normal life. Just return to being ignored and invisible._ Kuroko's tears flowed freely from her face, and as if just to egg her on, Sakura clutched onto Sasuke's arm. His eyes hardened, but made no move to shrug her off. Naruto, noticing Kuroko crying, ran out of the circle to hug her. Kakashi's eyes widened, and opened his mouth to shout, but it was done. All the seals were complete, and a bright flash filled the room. Kuroko lost conscience, and the last thing she registered was Naruto touching her shoulders.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko woke up to an annoying tweeting noise. She opened her eyes, and after noticing that she was _not _in her bedroom, she stood up abruptly. Kuroko was in a forest filled with trees, animals all around her. Deers, rabbits, squirrels, and all sorts of birds stood around her, looking concerned.

"Um… Hello there. Do you know where I am?" Kuroko asked, and then quickly chastised herself for trying to talk to animals.

_'You're in a forest.' _One of the animals said, talking to her through her _mind._ Kuroko took a step back out of surprise, and almost squished a poor bunny. She heard it yelp, and quickly turned around. Out of instinct, she grabbed it and began to pet its fluffy pelt, trying to calm it down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to try and step on you." When the bunny was relaxed, she set it down, and realized that all the animals were staring at her. She began fidgeting with her hair, cringing under all the intense stares.

_'Very well.' _One of the eldest deers said. '_We'll accept you.'_ Kuroko cocked her head to the side.

"Accept..?" She questioned out loud.

_'You can be our master.'_ Kuroko panicked.

"Master..? What?!"

_'You fell from the sky and treated us with care. You're the chosen one.'_ Kuroko was completely lost.

"Okay, I'll be your "chosen one". Just please tell me where I am." Kuroko pleaded, and a red fox stepped out.

_'You're in the Land of Sound.' _It replied, and Kuroko froze. _Sound..? Isn't that in Naruto? _She thought. _I remember Naruto touching me… Then a bright flash… _Her eyes widened. _I must of came with them back to their world!_ She looked at all the animals surrounding her.

"There's ninjas here, right? I've got to learn how to protect myself!" Kuroko said, earning a few nods from the animals.

_'We can help you.'_ The deer said. '_There's a village with ninjas here. We could take you to them and maybe they would train you.'_ It stepped forward._ 'You may choose three companions to take with you.'_ Kuroko looked at all the animals. Without a second glance, she choose a very large wolf, silver and the size of a pony. Kuroko also pointed to a small white fox, and a midnight black panther.

"I'd like to have these three accompany me." She said, and they stepped forward.

_'Very well. The others and I will take our leave now. Listen to your animals for guidance; you have the power to communicate with animals now.' _The deer and all the other animals left, the bunny stopping to nuzzle her leg, leaving Kuroko with her animals.

"So, do you three have names?" She asked, and they all dipped their heads and the fox replied,

_'I am called Uzume. Pleased to meet your acquaintance.' _The panther stepped forward.

_'I'm Amida_.' The wolf stood in front of her.

_'I am Sengen. I hope we get along well.' _Kuroko nodded, and waved at them.

"I'm Kuroko! Nice to meet you!" Uzume and Sengen smiled, while Amida grunted.

_'Lets be on out way to the village now.' _Sengen said, nodding her head in a direction pointing towards some smoke. '_It's over there. If you would like, I can allow you to ride me.'_ Kuroko smiled, and hopped onto Sengen's back. She started to run along the trees, Kuroko holding on tight.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

How's the length?

Here are some translations;

Amida~ Japanese god of death

Sengen~ Japanese blossom princess, goddess of spring

Uzume~ Japanese Shinto goddess of joy and happiness

Thanks for reading! Please review~


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you to Lavendor Queen and TsukiLovesSnape for reviewing!

Lavendor Queen~ The seals were done, and Naruto somehow stepped out and touched Kuroko… They were _standing_ in a circle..? Does that help? (It was just magic.)

Chapter 12

x-x-x-x

Kuroko was ecstatic. The feel of the wind rushing past her, the rush of trees, and the softness Sengen's fur was amazing. Amida and Uzume ran alongside her, Amida in the trees and Uzume on the ground. They ran like this for a while, and reached Otogakure. Kuroko carefully got off Sengen, looking around curiously.

_'Welcome to Otogakure. Amida and Uzume will become tattoos on your arm; you will need to bite your finger and swipe blood on it to summon them.' _Sengen said, and Amida and Uzume disappeared with a poof, and Kuroko felt a sting in the inside of both wrists. Glancing at them in curiosity, she saw two tattoos, one black, and the other white.

_I will accompany you by your side. 'You should change your clothes to blend in more.'_ Sengen said, and stood next to Kuroko, giving her some dull, brown shorts and shirt. Kuroko changed and walked into the village, going deeper underground. After walking through countless tunnels, Sengen tensed.

_'I'm terribly sorry Kuroko-sama. It seems Otogakure wasn't a very friendly place. Ninjas are coming this way, summon Uzume quickly.' _Kuroko bit her thumb and swiped it across her wrist. Uzume popped out, and quickly understanding the situation, she swished her tail, the tip becoming blue and dividing into seven tails. There was an odd tinkling noise, and Kuroko felt something warm envelope her. Uzume bowed and disappeared.

_'Uzume has used an illusion on you to cover your identity. When the ninjas come, don't resist. Let them capture you, but you mustn't give out your name. I will become a seal, on the inside of your left arm. Please summon me when needed, and try to escape. We're very sorry that we can't be of any use now…'_ Sengen apologized, ears flat and head dipped. Kuroko smiled, and patted her head.

"It's okay Sengen. I'll escape, just you watch." She reassured, and Sengen disappeared with a poof. The footsteps became louder, and Kuroko tensed. About ten sound ninjas appeared, surrounding her. They grabbed her hands, and tied them behind her back tightly.

"You're coming with us. Orochimaru-sama would want to see you." They told her, and she blinked and cocked her head. _Orochimaru?! What?_

"Why me..?" She asked. The ninjas gave no reply, only cuffing her on the side of her head and knocking her out.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko woke up, her hands aching and head throbbing. She tied up on the floor in front of a bed, which Orochimaru was in. Kabuto stood by the side, eyeing her warily.

"Good morning." Orochimaru hissed, and Kuroko shuddered. She squirmed, trying to get free.

"Scared?" Orochimaru sneered, and Kuroko's eyes widened before hardening.

"No." She replied, giving him her best glare. He chuckled, and began to cough.

"Tell me now, why is your chakra different?" He purred, slipping out of his bed and caressing her face with his cold fingers. She shuddered, clearly uncomfortable. But Kuroko wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her in fear. She wrenched her head away and snarled.

"I don't know." She said coldly, glaring at the snake. Kabuto tensed, hand reaching for his kunai holder. Orochimaru held out a hand to stop him.

"I like them feisty." He said, and held out his hand. Kuroko couldn't see what Kabuto had given him, but the next moment she felt a prick in her skin, and something that resembled an IV was in her arm. She panicked, feeling something drain away from her, leaving her only with little of what was taken away.

"This will keep your chakra at a low level, and you are to serve me and other ninjas here as a slave." He said, giving her a sly smile.

"Don't worry, most of the ninjas are male, although some _do _swing in that direction." Kuroko froze, not quite getting the meaning of what he had said. _Why is he reassuring me that most of them are male? Unless I'm… _Kuroko glanced down at her hands. They were slightly larger and unfamiliar then her hands. _Uzume! _Kuroko realized with a jolt.

"You will bring meals to who requests it, and other duties they ask for. You will do what they ask, or you will be punished. Understood?" Kuroko nodded meekly.

"Very well. Kabuto." Kabuto grabbed her, untied her hands, gave her some sort of collar, and dragged her down the hall. He showed where she would sleep, the storage room, the kitchen, and bathroom.

"Your first job is to cook for the whole hideout. Go." He demanded, and Kuroko left for the kitchen. She looked at her arm, which had the needle in it. She tried to pull it out, only resulting in more chakra draining. Deciding to leave it be for now, she rushed to the kitchen, which was a mess. Countless slaves were making some sort of glop, dirtying more and more dishes. Kuroko stared on with chargin, and then began to move to the sink. She grabbed a sponge and some soap, and began to wash the dishes.

x-x-x-x

It took her at least two hours to do the dishes, and when she was finished, she put them away. Grabbing a large pot, she filled it with water and decided to make stew. Putting the stove on high, she rushed to the storage room, grabbing onions, potatoes, carrots, and some meat. Placing the ingredients into the boiling water, she grabbed some seasoning, and after deciding that it was worthy enough to use for the stew, sprinkled some of that in too. When the stew was done, she took out thousands of bowls and placed them in a row, carefully pouring the stew in each one. By now, all the slaves had stopped making who-knows-what, and stared at Kuroko in amazement. She pointed to the bowls with stew and turned to the slaves.

"Can you take these to the cafeteria? I'll take the others to the ninjas in their rooms." The slaves nodded and grabbed bowls, Kuroko taking out a large tray and placed more bowls on top. She carefully balanced the tray with one hand, walking out the kitchen with spoons in the other. _I guess borrowing all those cookbooks from the library did help._ She thought, and knocked on the first door. A grumpy looking ninja looked out, but brightened when he saw the stew. Kuroko handed him a bowl and spoon, then bowed and turned to the next door. She did the same with half the hideout, and was walking to the other side. Studying her reflection with a spoon, she saw a teenaged boy with lavender eyes and jet black hair. She walked into another hallway, and began repeating the same process. Knock, hand spoon and bowl, bow, and leave. Finally reaching Orochimaru's room, she swallowed and knocked. Kabuto stuck his head out.

"What?" He asked irritably, and accepted two bowls from Kuroko. She bowed and continued down the hallway. She'd given out bowls to every one, except the room next to Orochimaru's. It was empty, and Kuroko just assumed that he went to the cafeteria with the others. But she kept a bowl just in case. She collected all the bowls from the ninjas, and headed back to the kitchen where she was bombarded with questions.

"Where did you learn to cook like that?"

"Can you teach me?"

"I've never seen a guy cook before."

"How did you make it?" Kuroko held out her hand, silencing everyone.

"I learned when I was little, my parents weren't always there to cook for me." She answered, and set the dirty dishes into the sink.

"You guys should clean up a little better…" She said, and was replied with _Yes sir!_ Kuroko spent the rest of the evening cleaning and organizing the kitchen, and then went to bed.

x-x-x-x

Kabuto, requesting that she sees Orochimaru, woke Kuroko up. She followed him down the hall, and into Orochimaru's room. Kuroko saw someone that she thought she would never see again.

Sasuke.

He stood next to Orochimaru, staring at her with an emotionless mask. Kuroko's eyes widened, and she froze. All three looked at Kuroko, her reaction causing them puzzlement.

"Do you know Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked, and Kuroko stood there gaping. After a while, she regained movement and snapped her mouth shut, shaking her head back and forth.

"No." She replied quickly. Kabuto's eyes narrowed, but he shrugged it off.

"You will become Sasuke-kun's personal slave." Orochimaru told her, and she stood there, shocked.

"W-What?" She asked, and Kabuto growled.

"Don't make Orochimaru-sama repeat himself." He ground out, and Kuroko nodded. Sasuke walked out of the room, motioning to Kuroko to follow him. She bowed quickly to Orochimaru and followed Sasuke out the door. He walked into his room and pointed to a corner.

"You can sleep there." Kuroko nodded, and stood in the corner. He looked at her for a while, eyes narrowing. Then he went to his closet and grabbed his katana.

"I'm going to go train." He said, and stood by the door. Kuroko followed him thinking that she was supposed to come too. And she was. Sasuke walked into a training ground, Orochimaru was waiting there. She watched for a while, and then went to the kitchen, retrieving two glasses of water. When she came back, they were done, both heavily panting and sweating. She offered Sasuke a glass and Orochimaru one. The gulped it down, and turned to Kuroko.

"Can you fight?" Sasuke asked, keeping his never wavering poker face on.

"I can call out summonings…" She replied, and fidgeted under their stares.

"Call them out." Orochimaru ordered. Kuroko bit her thumb and swiped her wrists. Amida and Uzume came out, immediately flanking her sides and crouching. Orochimaru smiled creepily and told her to put them away. Kuroko pet them each on the head, then they poofed away.

"I forgot to ask… Do you have a name?" Orochimaru asked, and Kuroko shook her head.

"Then I shall give you one. From now on, you are known as Yoru."

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Yoru~ Night

Thank you for reading! Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you to Lavendor Queen and JuliaAbadeerSkellington for reviewing!

Lavendor Queen~ Uzume is a fox, and in Japan, foxes and raccoons are the masters of illusion. (That's why I made it an illusion instead of genjutsu.)

JuliaAbadeerSkellington~ THAAAANK YOOOOU!

Oh, and to answer your question; _Maybe…_

Chapter 13

"You are dismissed." Sasuke walked back to his room, Kuroko tagging along behind him. She sat in her corner, waiting for his next command. He sat on his bed and began to polish his katana, staring at her some more.

"Is there something wrong with my face..?" She asked after awhile. He looked at her and continued polishing. She sighed, and sat in her corner some more. Sasuke stopped polishing.

"Is your eye color natural?" He asked. She nodded and shrugged her shoulders.

"My mom has the same color eyes." Sasuke stood up and walked over to her. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"W-What?" She stuttered, and he held her chin more firmly. She flushed at the closeness of their faces, and then remembered she was a boy. She retreated back unto her corner, face pale.

"What's wrong with my eyes?" She asked, and Sasuke continued to stare at her.

"You remind me of someone." Kuroko froze. _He remembers me?_ She shook her head to clear her thoughts. There was a knock on the door. Kabuto poked his head in, and asked if he could borrow Kuroko.

"Yoru, you are to come to Orochimaru's room." He said and exited the room. Sasuke stared at her some more as she followed Kabuto. Kuroko walked into Orochimaru's room, and stood in the middle of the room.

"We would like some chakra tests." Kabuto told her, more like a demand than a request. She nodded meekly, and held out the arm with the needle. Kabuto used his chakra to take it out. He poked another needle in her arm, drawing out purple stuff.

"Unnatural." He mused, and gave it to Orochimaru. He licked it. Kuroko shuddered.

"May I be excused now?" She asked, and Kabuto nodded curtly. He stuck the needle back in her arm.

Kuroko walked back to Sasuke's room, picking at the needle. _Ouch. I hate needles._ She thought sourly. She knocked on the door, and waited. When Sasuke didn't open the door, she began to tug on her sleeves, and new habit she's made when she became nervous or agitated. Sasuke opened the door and his eyes widened slightly when he caught her tugging on her sleeves. Kuroko dropped her hands immediately, and stepped into his room.

"May I use your bathroom?" Kuroko asked, and Sasuke stiffly nodded. She went into his bathroom, and closed the door. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she examined her face, looking at her eyes. Her eyes were the same color, so maybe that's what was bothering Sasuke. She decided to summon Uzume and ask if she could change it. Biting her thumb, she swiped at the white tattoo. Uzume popped out, and Kuroko requested the color change.

_'Kuroko-sama, if you change your eye color, there will be people who notice.' _Uzume said worriedly. Kuroko thought hard.

"Okay Uzume. Thank you for your advice. I'll keep it this way for awhile." She said, and Uzume bowed.

_'Thank you for taking my advice Kuroko-sama. One last thing; if you don't maintain enough energy, then the illusion will come undone.' _ She poofed away. Kuroko looked at the needle some more. It seemed held with chakra, and only Kabuto's chakra could take it out. She tried ripping it out, only resulting in a painful yelp. Sighing, she opened the door and crashed into Sasuke's chest. Giving out a rather girlish shriek, she leapt back.

"What did you do in here?" He demanded. Kuroko straitened up.

"I was messing with the needle." She showed him it. He glared.

"I felt a chakra spike. What did you do?" He demanded again, and Kuroko told him the same answer. He gave her one last glare before leaving. Kuroko fell to the floor in relief.

The next day was a busy one, everyone seemed in a rush. Slaves were running around with clothes and supplies, packing them into boxes. Kuroko watched them in puzzlement.

"What's the rush?" She asked Sasuke, who turned and stared at her.

"Moving hideouts." Kuroko watched some more as the salves ran around, ninja-guards standing to the side with whips. Her eyes widened.

"What are the whips for?" She asked quickly, slightly frightened of the thought of getting hit with a whip.

"Punishment." She watched a little kid, maybe around the age of eight, slip and fall; dropping the blankets he was carrying. All the slaves stopped their movement, some even let out a small gasp. The little boy quickly picked up the blankets, bowing repeatedly and apologizing, his eyes filled with tears. One of the guards with whips stepped forward. _The boy is going to get whipped! _ Kuroko thought, and tapped Sasuke on the shoulder.

"Shouldn't we stop him?" She asked frantically. He grunted and shook his head.

"His fault. He'll have to bear the pain and learn from his mistakes." Kuroko watched horrified as the guard raised the whip. Without thinking, she ran as fast as she could, praying that she would make it in time. And she did. The whip cut deep into her flesh, and it took all she had not to cry out. _I guess all those beatings I took from my mother gave me a high pain tolerance. _She thought as tears sprung into her eyes. She blinked them back down and cradled the small child. He was sobbing hysterically, and she stroked his hair to try and calm him down.

"Hey!" The guard shouted, and Kuroko paid him no mind. She kept comforting the child, and hugged him tightly, trying to ignore the stinging in her arm.

"It's okay, you're not getting whipped." She told him reassuringly, and wiped his tears away. She released him, and he smiled at her and ran to an older slave, looking like his mother or sister. Kuroko stood up and turned to the guard.

"I will _not_ tolerate child abuse." She told him, and stiffly walked back to Sasuke.

Everyone was staring at her as she walked to Sasuke's side. She fidgeted awkwardly and tugged on Sasuke's sleeve.

"Lets go." She whispered, and they left the scene. After stopping by his room to pack his belongings into boxes. Kuroko, remembering the wound on her arm, winced. She lifted up her arm and examined it. The wound was cut deep into her arm, from her wrist to her elbow. She held out her arm to Sasuke.

"Can you fix this?" Sasuke took her arm.

"Go to Kabuto." She shuddered. _He's creepy… _She complied and went to Orochimaru's room. She knocked once and Kabuto came out.

"Yes, how can I help you Yoru?" She showed him her arm.

"Oh yes, I've heard all about that. I wonder how you managed not to cry out when the whip hit you, usually it's very painful." He smirked, and motioned for her to step inside. He healed her cut, which wasn't a very pleasant experience for Kuroko. She thanked him quickly and took off for Sasuke's room. It was vacant. After searching the whole hideout for him, she found him outside, standing by a slave line.

"You are to walk with the other slaves and when we're at the new hideout, you are to come to my room." He instructed. Kuroko nodded and slipped into an empty space, a guard chaining her wrists. After all the slaves were chained up, they began moving. The slave line was moving at a fast pace, and after awhile, some slaves couldn't muster the energy to keep up. Their legs buckled under them, causing them to fall to the ground and drag along with the others. Kuroko felt sorry for them, but was also having a hard time herself. She began to pant, feeling the energy drain out of her. They continued to walk like this for days, without any nourishment, and finally reaching an underground entrance.

Kuroko, after being unchained, hobbled over to Sasuke's room; which was always the one next to Orochimaru's. She knocked slowly, and all but fell into the room. Surprisingly, Sasuke caught her, carrying her over to his bed. He set her down, and looked at her. Kuroko cracked open her eyes and mouthed a thank you before falling asleep, exhausted.

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you for reading!

Please review~


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you to KonanItachi12, JuliaAbadeerSkellington, DyingWarrior, Mizushima Moe, and Ashley for reviewing!

KonanItachi12~ Thank you for reading~ It makes me happy that you think I'm a good writer~

JuliaAbadeerSkellington~ You'll see~

Mizushima Moe~ Ok… I'll try to slow down.

Ashley~ I don't need your horseshoe.

* Throws it back at her *

Chapter 14

x-x-x-x

Kuroko woke up to Sasuke staring down at her. She jumped and sat up. Sasuke was looking at her, seeming to inspect every detail.

"Are you okay?" She asked, carefully choosing her words. He stared at her some more, and she glanced down at herself. Nothing looked different; her appearance looked the same. She shrugged it off and glanced at Sasuke. He had stopped looking at her so intently, and nodded toward a bowl of fruits.

"Eat." She got up from the bed and grabbed an apple. She bit into it, enjoying the taste and texture of the red fruit. She polished off the apple in a minute, and Sasuke stood up. She looked up at him, and he grabbed her chin. Naked panic flashed through her eyes for a second, then her eyes hardened, and she yanked her face out of Sasuke's hand.

"Can I help you?" She asked coldly, and Sasuke walked forward, Kuroko naturally stepping back.

"Who are you?" He demanded, and she took another step back.

"I'm Yoru." She snapped, but inside, she was mortified. _Does he know?!_ He stepped forward again, backing her up against the wall. He glared at her, and she sucked in a breath. Tensing her body, she prepared to fight if she needed to. Sasuke, noticing this, put a hand on his katana, sharingan eyes flashing.

"Don't." He snarled, but she did. Stomping on his leg, she butted him with her head. Managing to catch him in surprise, she shoved him aside and sprinted for the door. He was there in a flash, arms out, trying to grab her. She bit her thumb in desperation, swiping at the black tattoo. Amida came out, snarling and lunging at Sasuke. He drew his katana, using chidori and swiped at him. To Kuroko's horror, the katana hit, shocking Amida. He yowled, and Kuroko unsummoned him. She summoned Sengen, the large wolf popping out and flanking her side. Sengen growled, snapping her jaws at Sasuke when he came close. '_Kuroko-sama, we are at a disadvantage now with his chidori blade. It would be difficult to block. _Kuroko silently agreed. _I can lend you some of my powers, although I can't insure that the illusion will stay in place.'_

"It's worth the risk." She said, and Sasuke flashed in front of her, catching her by surprise. She yelped, and Sengen disappeared. Kuroko felt a surge of energy rushing through her, twisting out of the way just as Sasuke grabbed for her. Silver wolf ears and tail adorned her body, and seeing that Sasuke hadn't reacted differently, it seemed safe to assume that the illusion was still on. She ran to the door, hitting it with her shoulder. The door cracked, and Kuroko hit it again. It broke, and she sprinted out, running as fast as she could down the hallway. She passed by countless slaves, looking at her in awe and amazement. But before she could exit the hideout, Sasuke flashed in front of her, clipping her on the neck and effectively knocking her out.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko woke up on a cold, hard surface. She tried to sit up, but something was restraining her movements. Kabuto stood next to her, a sneer plastered on his face.

"Hello Yoru." He smiled creepily, and Kuroko shuddered. She twisted and turned to escape.

"I've noticed that you have quite a high pain threshold for someone with your background." He mused, and looked at her.

"Sasuke said that he noticed you flickering…" Kuroko's eyes widened. She made another feeble attempt to escape, and Kabuto began to sign seals.

"Lets see of we can discover your true identity…" Just as he was about to finish the last set of seals, a sound ninja burst into the room

"What?" Kabuto snapped, angry at being disrupted at such a suspenseful moment.

"Kabuto-sama, Konoha ninjas! They're here!" He said with a rush, running down the hall to warn the others. Kabuto cursed, and unchained Kuroko. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the room. Kuroko struggled, managing to slip out of his grasp and worm her way into a large crowd. She ran, trying to find an exit. Following a group of slaves, she found the tunnel leading outside. Sprinting for the exit, she had just put one foot outside before being yanked back. Spinning around, she struggled to see who had grabbed her. Obsidian eyes glared back at her.

"Let me go!" His grip tightened, and he spun her around to face him.

"Who are you?" He snarled, and she squirmed, trying to free herself. He held her tight, and Kuroko head butted him under the chin, seeing that he was taller than her. Sasuke's grip loosened, and Kuroko summoned Sengen.

"Lend me your powers, hurry!" She shouted, and Sengen complied. She felt the familiar rush of power surge through her, but she felt her eyes widen and she slightly gasped. Brown locks of hair fell down her shoulders, and the brown shirt suddenly seemed too tight. Sasuke stood there, shocked. Using the illusion wearing off as a distraction, she pushed him off her and ran for the exit once more. Sasuke growled in frustration, and just as Kuroko was about to reach the end of the dark tunnel, a slimy and slightly warm thing wrapped around her waist, preventing her from going farther. Kuroko looked down, and when she realized it was pulsing and covered in slime, she shrieked and clawed at it. The thing tightened, and began to pull her back to the hideout. Sasuke had disappeared, and outside she heard some shouting and clashing of metal. The shouting, she had realized with a start, was Naruto.

"Nooo!" She yelled, and struggled frantically. The thing squeezed her tight, and she began to have trouble breathing. The now tight brown shirt and the thing's grip on her were too much. Kuroko blacked out.

x-x-x-x

The _thing_, was actually Orochimaru's tongue. Kuroko had her hands tied behind her back, and was now sitting in the corner of Sasuke's room. They had lugged her over to a new hideout when she was unconscious, and assigned Sasuke as her new, official babysitter. She glanced over to him. He was looking at her, and she squirmed under his intense stare.

"What do I do now?" She asked, eager to break the silence. He grunted and turned away.

"I'm going to go train. You'll stay here." He gave her a glare and stalked out of the room. She huffed and tried to untie her wrists. Realizing that Sasuke kept weapons in his closet, she stood up slowly and tried to open the closet. After many trial-and-errors, she opened the door, and grabbed a kunai with her hand. Struggling to cut the ropes, she ended up crashing into the wall and cutting her arm. Luckily, Kuroko had cut the ropes binding her in the process. She quickly untied herself, and scampered into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, it was painfully aware to Kuroko that her illusion had, indeed, come off. She frowned, and then looked at the collar around her neck. To her mortification, it said; property of Uchiha Sasuke. She growled and tugged at her collar. Using the kunai, she tried to cut it, but the collar seemed unbreakable. Giving up, she examined the iv-needle-thing stuck into her arm. It looked stuck deep. She winced and tugged at it. The needle shifted slightly, but Kuroko was too scared to attempt any more movement to it. She sighed, and walked out of the bathroom and sat in her corner. She waited for Sasuke to return, and ended up falling asleep.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko woke up late, and Sasuke had still yet to return. She decided to rebel against his rules and try to sneak out. She quietly opened the door, and snuck out, only to smack into Sasuke's hard chest. She clutched her nose and moaned, sprawling backwards dramatically. After a moment, Kuroko sat up, still holding her nose, and looked at Sasuke. He was staring down at her, his face emotionless.

"Where were you? You weren't a very good babysitter you know…" She told him matter-of-factly. He snorted.

"You didn't listen to me." Now it was Kuroko's turn to snort.

"You left me here with nothing to do!" She retorted, and stood up. She pattered back over to her corner, sitting down with a childish humph.

"I feel like a bad kid sitting in the time-out corner…" She muttered to herself, and Sasuke huffed, and motioned toward the door.

"Dinner." He said, and Kuroko sprang up. She followed him to the cafeteria like a puppy; you could almost see her tail wagging. He led her to an empty table and gave her a bowl of some gloppy stuff. She grimaced, disgusted.

"What the hell is _that_?" She asked. Sasuke shrugged, and grabbed a spoon. Scooping some up and holding it to her face, he smirked.

"Here. Eat." She cringed back, and pushed the spoon away.

"No thank you." He shoved it in front of her again.

"Eat Kuroko." He said, his eyes locking with hers. She flushed, and turned her head.

"No. It's disgusting. Why don't you eat it?" She retorted, and Sasuke stood up, taking the bowl with him.

"Lets go." He dragged he back to his room.

"Wha-" She sputtered, and he thrust the spoon in her face once more. She shook her head.

"I'm not hungry." She scoffed, and he set the spoon back into the bowl. Quickly, she grabbed it and sat on him.

"Here, eat it Sasuke." She said, mimicking his voice. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched, and he pushed her hand away.

"I've already eaten." She snorted and put the spoon back.

"See? You don't want to eat it, do you?" She said, and got off his lap. He gave her a glare.

"Goodnight." He said, and went into the bathroom, turning off the lights. She huddled back into her corner, and got prepared to sleep. Before falling asleep, she heard Sasuke come out of the bathroom and sigh.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you for reading!

Please review~


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you to Dying Warrior, a Guest, NagariMitsukari12, Annabel Chase-Takeshita Tae, JuliaAbadeerSkellington, SKYSPRITE, and Ashley for reviewing!

Guest~ Thank you for pointing out the errors, I fixed them~

Annabel Chase-Takeshita Tae~ You do know that if you don't like my story, you can stop reading it

Raindropped~ I haven't thought of that… I guess the lack of presence is kind of the same as Kuroko Tetsuya… (Kuroko No Basket is such a great anime~)

Ashley~ Wild Sakura…? *Catches horseshoe and throws it back*

I don't want your horseshoe!

Chapter 15

x-x-x-x

"Kuroko, wake up." Sasuke nudged her shoulder. She yawned, and sat up.

"Where's the fire?" She asked sleepily. He grunted and gave her an apple.

"You didn't eat lunch or dinner." He told her, and she accepted the apple graciously.

"The dinner was gross. That stuff could kill people." She bit into her apple. Sasuke sat on his bed, waiting for her to finish. Kuroko ate her apple, throwing the core at Sasuke. Which he caught. She sat in her corner thinking, fiddling with her collar._ My collar!_

"Hey Sasuke, why does my collar say property of Uchiha Sasuke on it..?" He walked in front of her examining it.

"I'm _babysitting_ you." He said, and she snorted. Standing up, she pointed to the door.

"I want to go outside." She tried to open the door, but Sasuke caught her hand.

"No." He replied firmly, and Kuroko frowned.

"Then let me cook. I'm dying to do something." He opened the door, and walked out. Kuroko followed him, curious to where he was going. Sasuke stopped at the kitchen, and motioned for her to go inside. She grimaced at all the dirty dishes. Rolling up her sleeves, she looked at Sasuke.

"Come on Uchiha, you going to help?" He just sighed and stood next to her. She began furiously, scrubbing at the dishes, rinsing them and handing them to Sasuke, who dried them off and stacked them. Kuroko flushed, thinking of what people would see it they walked in. She scrubbed harder. After all the dishes were clean, she put them away and turned to Sasuke.

"Any preferences?" She questioned, and Sasuke just grunted. She shrugged, and grabbed a fry pan. "Pancakes it is then." She went to the storage room, Sasuke close behind her. Kuroko grabbed some flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, milk, and butter. Before leaving the room, she tossed a jug of maple syrup. He caught it easily, and they left for the kitchen.

Kuroko mixed the ingredients for pancakes in a very large bowl, Sasuke leaning against the wall and watching her. She finished stirring, and placed a big frying pan on the stove. Turning the heat to high, she sat back to rest for a while. Panting, she struggled to lift the large bowl on the counter. After many futile attempts, she turned to look at Sasuke expectantly.

"A little help here?" She asked, and Sasuke placed the bowl on the counter effortlessly. She sighed in exasperation, and used the spoon to pour pancake batter onto the now hot frying pan. Quickly flipping the pancakes and cooking them to perfection, Kuroko made enough breakfast for everyone in the hideout. She flipped the pancakes backwards, Sasuke catching them on a plate and handing them to the people in line. Once all the ninjas were fed, Kuroko slid to the floor in exhaustion.

"Good teamwork babysitter." She panted, and Sasuke silently agreed. They headed back to Sasuke's room, the smell of pancakes everywhere in the hideout. Kuroko crawled over to her corner, and sat down tiredly. She began to pick at her needle, and managed to move it slightly out. She leaned back into the corner, and started nodding off. But before she could fall asleep, Sasuke shook her on the shoulder. Kuroko's eyes snapped open, and she stood up. Stretching, she looked at him questioningly.

"You want to get out, correct?" Kuroko nodded eagerly. He walked out the door. Kuroko followed him, ending up going into Orochimaru's room. They stood quietly by the doorway, Kabuto coming out. He nodded, and opened the door for them. Orochimaru sat in the bed, looking sickly pale and wheezing. He motioned for them to come closer, and Sasuke stepped forward.

"I have a mission for you two. As you can see, I'm getting weaker and in need of a medical ninja. Not just any ninja though, I need Tsunade the sannin. You're mission is to capture her, and if you can't, bring back her apprentice, Haruno Sakura." Sasuke shifted slightly, but had no other reaction. Kuroko stood behind him, keeping her face emotionless.

"May I ask, why choose me to accompany Sasuke on this mission and not any other kunoichi?" Orochimaru chuckled, then coughed.

"You my girl are perfectly fine. Your chakra is unique, and Sasuke has an attachment to you as well. Think of it as… a test." He said, and then began a coughing fit. Kabuto rushed over to him, giving Sasuke a look. He nodded and walked out. Kuroko followed him back into his room, where Sasuke grabbed some supplies. She watched him silently. _Attachment..? _Kuroko thought to herself, not realizing that Sasuke was staring at her. Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked at him.

"Lets go." He grabbed her and flashed outside.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko breathed in the fresh air, enjoying every moment out of the underground hideout. Sasuke stood by the edge of the forest, watching her. She summoned Sengen, and using her powers, she sprinted after him. Sasuke leapt onto the branches of the trees, moving at a fast pace. Kuroko had some trouble keeping up, even with her wolf powers; she couldn't quite match Sasuke's speed. After countless hours of tree jumping, they stopped to set up a camp. Sasuke disappeared somewhere to collect firewood, leaving Kuroko all by herself. She undid Sengen's powers, plopping down on the ground to rest. Sasuke came back with an armload of firewood, and looked at her.

"Can you use your illusions to mask our identities?" He asked, and Kuroko complied. She summoned Uzume, quietly asking her to disguise Sasuke and herself. Uzume nodded, swishing her tail. Her tail divided into seven parts, the tips turning blue. There was a tinkling noise, and Kuroko felt a warm feeling envelop her. She looked at Sasuke, and his appearance had changed. He had turned female, with long blue hair and the same obsidian black eyes. His clothes had also changed into a light blue dress of some sort. Kuroko, looking down at herself, noticed she had once again turned into a guy. _Probably the same as before._ She looked at Sasuke again, slightly snickering at how he looked as a girl. He glared, and Kuroko shut up.

"We should use other names to call ourselves. You can be Yoru, and I'll be…" He trailed off, unsure what to call himself.

"Kasumi." Kuroko decided, and Sasuke gave a nod of approval. He stacked up the firewood, and used a katon jutsu to light it. They sat by the fire for the rest of the night, quietly enjoying each other's company.

Kuroko woke up with Sasuke standing over her.

"Time to go." He announced, and Kuroko stood up. She dusted herself off, and stood up. Sasuke put out what was left of the fire and leapt up onto the branches. She used Sengen's powers once again, and followed suite. They journeyed for hours, and Kuroko felt her energy drain. She panted heavily, stopping to rest by a nearby tree. Sengen's voice appeared in her head. _Be careful of using my powers too much, the draw back is turning into one of my children temporarily. _Kuroko nodded, and ran after Sasuke. They reached the Konoha village in a couple of days. They now stood in front of the large, red, gates leading into the village. Kuroko walked in without hesitation, undoing Sengen's powers before passing into the village and was stopped by the guards. She noticed Sasuke's lack of presence and looked back. He stood in front of the gates, seeming hesitant to step in. She smiled and motioned for him to join her. He slowly came to her side.

"Hello there, welcome to Konoha. If you could just tell us your identification…" One of the two guards asked them, and Kuroko reached into Sasuke's bag and pulled out some fake ids. She handed it to them and smiled. They checked over the papers and nodded. "Okay, thank you. Have a nice day." They stepped inside, allowing access to the village. Kuroko walked in, followed by Sasuke, who had his hands in his pockets. She looked around, and grabbed Sasuke's arm.

"Come on! Lets go look for them." She dragged him away, looking for a pink-haired girl. Sasuke stiffened, but reluctantly followed her. Noticing the Hokage Monument, she tugged on Sasuke's sleeve and pointed to it.

"Look Kasumi, there's a new hokage!" She said excitedly, and Sasuke dragged her to and alley.

"We need a plan." He stated, and Kuroko gave him a no-duh look.

"I doubt that we'll be able to capture Tsunade, so we'll have to make-do with Sakura." Kuroko replied firmly. "Any ideas to where she lives?" He shrugged and sighed.

"Lets start looking. We can signal each other by flaring our chakra three times." Kuroko nodded. They jumped away, and Kuroko set off in search of Tsunade's apprentice. Kuroko spent the day searching, racking her mind for any useful knowledge from the anime. Remembering that she works at the hospital, Kuroko headed in that direction. She stood in front of the hospital, looking for a way to get in. Quickly thinking, she hid in the shadows and flared her chakra three times. Sasuke appeared in a flash, standing in front of her impassively. Kuroko pointed at the hospital.

"I know Sakura works there." Sasuke nodded, and pulled out a kunai.

"How good are your acting skills?"

x-x-x-x

"Help! Please, someone help!" Kuroko shouted loudly, hoping to catch someone's attention. "My sister needs help!" She sobbed, and some ninjas appeared. Kuroko looked at them through watering eyes. Surprisingly, she didn't need to try hard to cry. She held out Sasuke, who was panting heavily, bleeding from a very large wound to the stomach. Seeing Sasuke hurt like this stirred up a weird feeling from inside her, feeling if she was hurt herself. The ninjas quickly took Sasuke, running to the hospital. Kuroko followed them quickly, sprinting to catch up. Sasuke was taken in, leaving Kuroko waiting outside in the waiting room. She started sobbing, and a medical ninja came over to try and comfort her. Kuroko slowly stopped her sobs, quieting down to a sniffle. A nurse came in an hour later, telling her that Sasuke would be fine.

"Good thing Sakura was here. She's the head of the hospital." The nurse said cheerfully.

"What can Sakura do?" Kuroko asked, eager to gather more information about the pink medical ninja.

"Oh, almost everything. She's about as good as Tsunade-sama!" The nurse told her, and then excused herself to go help other patients. Kuroko walked up to the front desk.

"Can I visit Kasumi? I heard she recovered and I would like to see her." The person working at the desk looked at her carefully.

"Are you a family member?" She asked, and Kuroko nodded. She motioned her down a hall. "First door on the right." Kuroko thanked her and hurried to the room. She knocked, and a nurse opened the door. Kuroko stepped in, grimacing at all the white. In the middle of the room was a bed with Sasuke in it. His illusion was still on, and he looked ready to bolt out of here any minute. Kuroko giggled softly, then went to his side.

"Ready to go Kasumi?" He nodded curtly. Kuroko and Sasuke walked out of the hospital, the nurses waving good-bye, not knowing that they would be back _very soon._

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Kasumi~ Mist

I'm sorry this chapter's late…

Thank you for reading and _please _review!


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you to Ashley, DyingWarrior, SKYSPRITE, JuliaAbadeerSkellington, and Bernice Hopkins-TakeshiTae for reviewing!

Ashley~ Too short? TOO _SHORT_?! That was the longest chapter yet! If you have complaints Ashley, then try writing your own story, about 2,000 words in one or two days with school, homework, Japanese homework, and other stuff that takes up my precious time!

DyingWarrior~ Yes! *Catches puppy* Thank yooou~

JuliaAbadeerSkellington~ Thanks, but I think I'm okay… (o^^o)

Bernice Hopkins-TakeshiTae~ …Thanks?

Chapter 16

Kuroko and Sasuke spent the rest of the day sitting at a dango shop and discussing plans.

"We could get hurt again…" Kuroko thought out loud, and received a cold glare from Sasuke.

"If we do that again, you're the one getting injured." He scoffed. Kuroko sighed, and looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, and _you_ have better ideas?" She asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. He nodded curtly.

"We could kidnap her when she's working late and no one's around." Kuroko nodded slowly, hating the fact that his idea was slightly better then hers. "We'll check tonight." Sasuke said. They got up and exited the dango shop.

Kuroko summoned Sengen later that night. Sengen appeared with a poof, stretching and yawning widely. _Yes Kuroko-sama?_ She asked, and Kuroko asked to use her powers once more. Sengen reluctantly complied, but warned her once more about the drawbacks.

"I know Sengen. How's Amida..?" She asked, concerned for the panther's health. '_He's fine.'_ Sengen replied quickly, and Kuroko let out a sigh of relief. Nodding to Sengen once, she unsummoned her and began scaling the hospital. Looking through each window, she searched for Sakura. Near the top, Kuroko thought she spotted a speck of pink. Eagerly creeping toward the window, she saw Sakura studying and writing papers in a library. No one was around her, so Kuroko signed to Sasuke. Sakura looked up suspiciously, but shrugged it off and resumed reading. Sasuke appeared in a flash, and Kuroko pointed to the window. Sasuke nodded and opened the window carefully. They snuck in, hiding behind bookshelves away from Sakura's view. Sasuke appeared behind Sakura, and before she could turn around to see whose chakra it was, he cuffed her on the neck and knocked her out. Kuroko grinned and flashed him a thumbs-up. He smirked in return. They heaved Sakura over both their shoulders, and jumped out the window, putting as much distance between the hospital and themselves. They exited Konoha, and came to a stop in a forest.

"Sasuke, shouldn't we tie her up so when she wakes up, she won't escape?" Kuroko asked him, taking rope out of his pack. He nodded, and they tied Sakura to a tree. Kuroko sat back, content enough to try and fall asleep.

"I'll keep watch so if Sakura wakes up, I can knock her out again." Sasuke announced, daring her to object. She didn't, leaning against a tree and watching him instead. She fell asleep quickly, feeling somewhat safe under the presence of Sasuke.

Kuroko woke up; Sasuke had already packed up camp and was standing next to her with an unconscious Sakura slung over his shoulder. Kuroko yawned, getting to her feet and stretching. She dusted herself off and stood next to him.

"I want to have some of those candies you used to turn us back. We'll quickly go back to Konoha and steal some from Kakashi." He started back toward Konoha, stopping not too far away from where they camped last time. He dropped Sakura and tied her up. "I'll go get the candies, so you stay here and watch Sakura. If she awakes and is too loud, knock her out again. Don't tell her any valuable information." Sasuke ordered, then disappeared. Kuroko sighed miserably, sitting down next to Sakura, chin in her hand. She sat like this for hours, unmoving. Finally becoming bored, she summoned all three of her animals. Amida, Sengen, and Uzume popped out. _How may we be of help Kuroko-sama?_ Sengen asked. Kuroko merely shrugged, and looked at them.

"I'm as bored as hell." She stated. Sengen nodded in understanding. '_May I ask who she is?' _Kuroko followed her gaze to the pink haired girl. "That's Haruno Sakura, apprentice of Tsunade the fifth Hokage." She told then, and hurriedly added, "She's our captive. I am to knock her out if she wakes and is loud." Uzume nodded. '_And where is your Uchiha companion?' _She asked, and Kuroko sighed. "He went to have fun without me." Kuroko whined, standing up to stretch. As she did, Sakura began to stir. Kuroko and her summonings froze, unsure how to react. Sakura's eyes snapped open, and she immediately began struggling against the ropes.

"Who are you?" She shouted, trying to get free. Kuroko sighed once again.

"And here I thought I would have someone to talk to…" She looked at her animals. "No offence." They nodded, replying with a, _none taken_ in unison. Sakura glared at her, struggling some more.

"Who are you?" She snarled, and Kuroko shrugged.

"That's classified information." She giggled._ I've always wanted to say that once! _She thought to herself amusingly, completely oblivious to Sakura's murderous aurora. She glanced at her, slightly taken back at the intensity of the glare. "You probably shouldn't upset me… I'll tattle-tale to my babysitter and h-_she'll_ get mad~" She chirped, only adding more fuel to the fire. Sakura's eyes narrowed at the slight fumble Kuroko made.

"Who's your babysitter?" Sakura asked, finally giving up on trying to untie herself.

"Oh, she can be a bastard sometimes. She can also give really scary glares." Kuroko told her matter-of-factly, pacing back and forth. Sakura shifted slightly, and Kuroko stopped. "If you become too troublesome, I'll have to knock you out again." She told her warningly, her cheery, childish character gone. Kuroko walked over to Sakura, and tapped on her wrists. "There. No more chakra scalpels for you." She told her, shaking her finger as if scolding a small child. Sakura glared, while Amida chuckled from behind.

"How did you know I could use chakra scalpels?" She asked, eyes narrowing.

_I watched the anime. _"Because you're a medical ninja." Kuroko replied, matching Sakura's glare with one of her own. A rustle in the trees caused them to stop glaring. Sasuke appeared, and Kuroko smiled. "Did you get it?" Sasuke gave her a curt nod. He turned his attention to Sakura. She gasped slightly, recognizing his face.

"You're the girl that came in the hospital yesterday!" She exclaimed, and Kuroko looked at her with a no-duh look. Packing up what she had taken out, Kuroko put on Sasuke's pack, standing next to him.

"Ready to go?" Sasuke nodded.

They ended up journeying the whole day with Sakura unconscious; she had tried to escape too many times to keep her awake. Sasuke instructed that they take the illusion off; Kuroko was using too much chakra to keep it on. They were far away from Konoha now; so anyone without a Bingo Book would recognize Sasuke. Sasuke stopped just past the Valley of the End, in Otogakure, deciding to set up camp there. He set down Sakura, disappearing to gather firewood. Kuroko nudged Sakura gently, waking her up. Sakura sleepily opened her eyes, sitting up quickly when she saw Kuroko. Kuroko shushed her before she could speak.

"Yes, it's me, Kuroko." Sakura's eyes widened.

"Kuroko? What are you doing here?!" She gasped, clearly surprised at seeing her.

"I came for a visit." Kuroko smiled, enjoying watching Sakura flustered. Sakura sat there, gaping. Sasuke came back with wood, and Sakura's immensely

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura stuttered, Sasuke merely glared at her. She cringed slightly, Kuroko giggling slightly at the sight. _You've endured so many hard things, like training under Tsunade and Sasori's sword, but you cringe under the glare of the person you've tried so hard to bring back to your village. Although, his glare is scary... _Kuroko thought to herself, watching Sakura with curious eyes. Sakura just sat there, looking completely jumbled up, unsure of what to do. Sasuke set the firewood down in a pile, using a fire jutsu to light it. Kuroko sat next to Sasuke, across the fire from Sakura. Sakura stared somewhat longingly, then her eyes hardened and the seemed to make up her mind. Kuroko sat for a while, before getting up to hunt for food. She nodded to Sasuke once, then took off to fish in a nearby river. Using Sengen's animalistic powers, she snatched fish out of the water with her bare hands. When she had caught enough fish for their next meal, Kuroko headed back to the camp, and saw Sasuke sitting by the fire, while Sakura was standing and shouting at him. Kuroko dropped the fish, running to Sakura and gently pushing her back down to the ground.

"You captured me because of Orochimaru's orders? Do I really mean that much to you?" Sakura shouted, furious.

"I've cut off all my ties to my former team mates." Sasuke replied stonily. Kuroko, foreseeing the argument, stood in front of Sasuke.

"Lets not fight now…" Kuroko began, but was cut off by Sakura.

"Y-You..." She began, and Kuroko winced. "Why the hell are you with Sasuke? I though you were with us!"

"Actually, he doesn't really have a choice… He's my babysitter." Kuroko replied, and Sakura barked a laugh.

"I've endured much more pain then you've probably have ever experienced. What makes you so special?" Sakura asked, and Kuroko became slightly angered.

"Look Sakura, I respect you for the enduring you've done, but please stop saying it like I had a choice in the matter. Because I didn't. I never chose to come to your world, so stop blaming it on me." Kuroko snapped, immediately regretting it. Sakura stiffened, and turned to glare at her. Kuroko took a step back, remembering the monstrous strength Sakura had gained under training with Tsunade. Sakura stood up, swiping with her legs to trip Kuroko. Kuroko fell, rolling at the last minute to avoid getting stomped on. The ground cracked, and Kuroko hit her head on a large chunk of rock protruding from below. She lay still, dazed. Sakura came at her again, Kuroko panicked and borrowing Sengen's powers, she leapt into the trees. Sakura merely knocked them all down, and Kuroko had no where to hide. She backed away, keeping her distance; Sakura was a close-range fighter. Looking at Sasuke pleadingly, Kuroko tried to dodge the flying rubble Sakura was chucking at her. After getting hit in the head by a particularly large tree, Sasuke finally decided to step in. He appeared in front of Sakura, using his sharingan to cast her into a genjutsu. Sakura's eyes widened, then rolled back and she fell limp. Kuroko stopped using Sengen's powers and clutched her head. She moaned quietly, her head throbbing from the pain. Sasuke picked up the fish, dusting them off. Using sticks, he stabbed the fish and roasted them with the fire. Sasuke handed Kuroko a fish. Kuroko tiredly accepted and nibbled on the fish, knowing that she had just probably made herself an enemy with Sakura.

**~Author's Note~**

I apologize if this chapter seems short; I was busy and didn't have much time…

Thank you for reading and please, _please_ review~


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Sasuke might seem a little OOC in this chapter… But he just finds it amusing to play with her in that way.

Thank you to DyingWarrior, SKYSPRITE, Ashley, Dark As Black, Kasai No Oni, and JuliaAbadeerSkellington for reviewing~

SKYSPRITE~ I hope you got my PM, I'm sorry for making Sakura OOC, I've updated that chapter and hope she's better…

Ashley~ I'm just kidding! I still love you~ (As _friends_)

Kasai No Oni~ Yes… Very sadly…

Chapter 17

x-x-x-x

Kuroko sat by the fire the whole night, unable to sleep because of the pounding headache Sakura had given her. She clutched her head, silently wishing it would go away. Kuroko summoned Sengen, wondering if she could help. '_Good evening Kuroko-sama. How may I be of help?'_

"I got hit in the head with a big tree, and now I have a headache. Can you fix it?" She whispered quietly. Sengen nodded slowly. '_You would naturally heal if I turn you into a wolf; don't worry, it's only temporary.' _Kuroko nodded slowly, not wanting to cause any more pain. She walked over to Sasuke, and told him how she could help her headache by turning into a wolf temporarily. He nodded, suggesting that she try it.

"We should use a candy on Sakura so she can't use jutsu or try to escape. It would make it easier to control her." Kuroko suggested, and motioned to Sengen, who disappeared. Kuroko felt her body morph, and just like that, she was a wolf. Her pelt was a brown and white color, while her eyes remained the same. She shook her body experimentally, and winced slightly. Her headache was going away slowly, but was still throbbing. She tried to talk to Sasuke, and her voice came out something like Amida, Sengen, and Uzume. '_You should probably give the candy to Sakura before she wakes up.' _Sasuke nodded, and looked in his pack, searching for the bottle. He took one out, and force-fed her, opening her mouth and closing it. She instinctively swallowed, and turned into a cat. (**A/N~ **_Cat_, not kitten because she's an adult now.) Kuroko sat down, the sky was getting brighter and she still hadn't gotten any sleep. Rubbing her eyes tiredly with her paws, Kuroko sat, waiting for Sasuke's orders. He stood up, picking up Sakura and holding her in his arms. Kuroko smiled; it was sort of cute seeing Sasuke holding a cute, pink kitten. Sasuke, sensing her amusement, looked at her and glared. She looked in the other direction innocently, pretending she'd never seen him glare at her a moment ago. Sasuke vanished into the trees, and Kuroko leapt after him.

Kuroko ran alongside Sasuke, pushing herself forward with her powerful hind legs. She had two options; follow Sasuke by jumping in the tree with him, or running on the ground. Kuroko chose the latter, figuring that tree jumping would be slightly difficult when she wasn't used the wolf body, and running on foot seemed more natural at the moment. They ran for hours, finally stopping at an inn in Otogakure. Sasuke walked up to the counter, requesting a room. Kuroko trotted after him, warily eyeing the attendant. _I could sleep in the forest and you could sneak Sakura in and keep an eye on her if this inn doesn't allow pets… _Kuroko thought to Sasuke, and he nodded.

"Do you allow pets?" He asked, and the lady at the counter shook her head slowly.

"If you mean that wolf, no…" Kuroko sighed, and walked out. _Another night sleeping outsid_e _for me… _She thought sourly. She ran into the woods, searching for a place to sleep for the night. Finding a soft bed of moss close to the inn, Kuroko walked over to it, stepping on the green moss. She spun in circles, trying to find the perfect spot. Kuroko lay down, comfortable, but not completely satisfied with her bed. She slept there for the rest of the night. Kuroko woke up, rays of sun beaming down at her face. She sat up tiredly, blinking her eyes, trying to wake up. After a few minutes of stretching, she got up and rushed back to the inn. Seeing that Sasuke wasn't out and the attendant wasn't at the desk, she figured it was safe to sneak in. She pushed open the door with muzzle, surprised to find it unlocked. She crept in, trying her best to cease the clicking and clacking of her nails. Sniffing the air, she searched for Sasuke's sent or pine and burnt wood. Finding the smell leading down the left corridor, she walked in that direction. The odor stopped at door 307, and Kuroko scratched in and whined. There was no answer. She scratched it again, and heard something shuffle inside. She took a step back, sitting on her haunches and waiting for the occupant to come out. Sasuke opened the door, hair messed up and looking tired and grumpy. Kuroko cocked her head to the side and giggled to herself. _Who knew Sasuke looks like a sleepy puppy when woken up early in the morning._ She thought, and nudged his leg with her head. _Can we go now? I'm tired of sleeping outside. _Kuroko whined, and Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Okay, let me grab Sakura and my stuff." He grumbled, shuffling into the room. Kuroko snickered.

x-x-x-x

Sasuke came out half-an-hour later, looking more awake and hair slightly un-messier. He had Sakura over his shoulder, and his pack slung across his back. Kuroko snuck out just as carefully as before, while Sasuke checked out at the counter. Kuroko sat by the exit, waiting as patiently as she could. He came out, and they ran through the forest the rest of the morning to Orochimaru's hideout. Kuroko shuddered before stepping into the dark tunnels, darkness engulfing her. Sakura stirred slightly, the cold temperature of the underground tunnels waking her up. She began struggling, freezing for a moment realizing she was a cat, before clawing Sasuke's back in a feeble attempt to escape the Uchiha's iron grip. He made no move to let her go, Kuroko wincing at the sight of his shirt turning into ribbons and claws digging deep into his back. Sasuke walked into Orochimaru's room, not bothering to knock, and grabbed Sakura by the scruff. She yowled and swung her limbs wildly, trying to escape before she was passed off to Kabuto. Kabuto looked confused momentarily, before recognizing the pink hair and green eyes. Sasuke handed her over along with a candy from the bottle.

"Give her the candy and she'll turn back into a human." He instructed, and Kabuto nodded. He looked at Kuroko.

"And her?" Kuroko tensed under the stare.

"She'll turn back by herself." Sasuke said and left the room, Kuroko following him. She tried hard not to think of Sakura's fate, concentrating on the sound of Sasuke's footsteps echoing through the tunnels. They went into his room, and she sat in her corner. _Sengen? _She asked quietly to herself, and was replied with a, _yes? _Kuroko shook her head, and after deciding her head was fine, she requested to change back to a human. '_Okay Kuroko-sama, but I would suggest having a change of clothes nearby.'_ Kuroko flushed, and avoided Sasuke's curious gaze. '_I thought my clothes would reappear on my body because when I turned into a wolf, the clothes disappeared as well…'_ Kuroko trailed off, but decided not to question Sengen. She walked to Sasuke. '_Sasuke, could you lend me some clothes? I'd like to turn back and… um…'_ Sasuke nodded curtly, saving her from embarrassing herself any further. He opened his closet, grabbing a navy-blue shirt and some fishnet. He set it next to her.

"You can cut and glue the fishnet with chakra." Sasuke told her, before leaving the room to stand outside. Kuroko gave the signal to Sengen, and the weird feeling of morphing rushed over her again. She grabbed the fishnet, creating a chest wrapping and slipping his shirt over her. The shirt was large for her, reaching to about her knees. Using the last of the fishnet, she made leggings to wear underneath the shirt. Walking into the bathroom, she looked into the mirror. The high-collared shirt was long enough to pass as a dress, but she would have to be careful around the male sound ninjas, just in case. Kuroko twirled experimentally, noticing the large Uchiha clan symbol on the back. She blushed, but surprisingly felt somewhat giddy. Kuroko rushed out of the bathroom, and opened the door. Sasuke was standing in the doorframe, causing Kuroko to crash right into him. They fell to the floor; Kuroko on top of him. She blushed, her face turning bright red. Kuroko struggled to get off of him, but the jumble of tangled legs made it nearly impossible. Right when she was about to step off of him, a slave came rushing around the corner, tripping over them and causing their foreheads to touch. Kuroko's heart was beating fast, blood pounding in her ears. She flushed, feeling Sasuke's breath on her mouth. She stared into deep pools of black, admiring their beauty. They stayed in that position for a while, before snapping back to their senses and jumping away from each other. Sasuke muttered something about training, and Kuroko was red and tugging on the hem of the shirt self-consciously. Sasuke told her to stay in the room, and just as he was about to leave, he leaned down to whisper to her, his breath tickling her ear.

"I like the shirt." He smirked and disappeared, leaving Kuroko dizzy and leaning against the wall.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko went back into Sasuke's room, the earlier scene replaying over-and-over in her mind. She flushed and toughed her lips, remembering the feeling of Sasuke's breath fanning over them. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Kuroko looked at her shirt. _I like the shirt._ She tugged on it, pressing her nose into the high collar. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the faint smell of pine and burnt wood. Kuroko sat on his bed, spreading her arms and legs out like a starfish. She wondered aimlessly, trying to distract herself from Sasuke. _Sakura!_ She thought with a jolt, remembering Sasuke's pink-haired teammate. Kuroko decided to help her; no one deserved to be tortured until you heal the enemy. Opening the door, she poked her head outside and scanned the area. All clear. Tip-toeing quietly to Kabuto's lab, she pressed her ear onto the door. It was quiet. Kuroko listened more intently, trying to figure out if Sakura was in there or not. Finally giving up, she turned to head back to Sasuke's room. And guess who she bumped into.

"S-Sasuke?" She stuttered, stepping back. He looked amusingly at her, obviously enjoying her fear.

"I thought I told you to stay in my room." He said, and Kuroko took another step back, flattening herself against the wall. He stepped forward. Kuroko's eyes nervously flitted from each side of Sasuke, trying to come up with a way to escape. He pinned her against the wall, smirking. "You didn't listen. And do you know what happens to bad girls?" Kuroko gulped. Sasuke leaned down and whispered into her ear. "They get _punished._" He told her, licking the shell of her ear. Blood rushed to her head, and she squeaked, surprised. Sasuke held her pressed against the wall, continuing his ministrations. He gave her ear a nip before releasing her and walking back to his room, giving her a dark smirk. Kuroko stood there, holding her ear, slightly shocked. She trailed after him slowly, dazed by the recent events. He was waiting on his bed, giving her a mock glare. "Disobey my instructions and you'll be punished." He warned, but his eyes held a faint amount of amusement. Kuroko nodded quickly. He looked at her in the eye. "What _where_ you doing at Kabuto's lab?" Kuroko stayed quiet, not wanting him to destroy her chance at saving Sakura. He was in front of her in a flash, pushing her down onto his bed and straddling her. She blushed hotly, squirming to try to get free. He leaned down to her ear. "Don't make me have to punish you again." She shivered, and pushed him off her with her hands.

"Okay! I was trying to see if Sakura was in there." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I was going to try to help her escape…" She fiddled with her fingers nervously. Sasuke stared at her.

"I'm going to kill Orochimaru tomorrow." He stated, and Kuroko's eyes widened. "You can try to help her then. She's locked down in the dungeon with others." Kuroko nodded, trying to process all the information. She froze.

"Wait…What?! You're going to kill _Orochimaru_?!" He merely nodded. She stared at him incredulously.

"He's weak now. It's convenient. I've learned everything he has to teach me." Kuroko gaped at him. Sasuke glared at her. "Are you doubting me?" Kuroko shook her head. "Good. I would like to get some sleep before tomorrow." Kuroko got off his bed and sat in her corner. Sasuke stripped himself of his sword and got in bed. They both fell asleep quickly, anticipating what was to come the next day.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Sorry for Sasuke being OOC… If it's too much, please tell me and I'll change it~

Thank you for reading and _please _review!


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

I'm truly sorry that I've updated so late… I got really busy…

Thank you to DyingWarrior, Duchess K, Ashley, JuliaAbadeerSkellington, and SKYSPRITE for reviewing~

DyingWarrior~ Yes, I _had_ to.

SKYSPRITE~ Lol, Sasuke has an inner-pervert. Ok, I'll try to keep his inner-perv at bay~

Chapter 18

x-x-x-x

Kuroko yawned, stretching her arms high above her head. She felt someone's gaze boring into the back of her head, and she turned around to look at him. Sasuke was staring at her, katana equipt and ready to go. She hurriedly stood up, eyes flashing with determination.

"When should I go?" She asked without hesitation, clenching her hands into fists. He studied her for a moment, eyes flickering to her hands.

"Now." He ordered sharply, then disappeared. She threw open the door and sprinted down the hall, ignoring the looks of surprise and irritation of all the slaves. She ran down the stairs to the dungeon, ignoring the pleading of the prisoners, swiftly dodging the outstretched hands coming from the cells. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find the pink-haired kunoichi. Kuroko found a nearly empty cell, and she stopped, looking at the occupant. Sakura sat in the corner, hugging her knees. Her hair was grimy and dirty, and her skin a sickly pale. Kuroko clutched the cage bars; using Sengen's powers for a second to wretch them open. Sakura looked up at her, clearly surprised.

"Hurry." Kuroko held out her hand, which Sakura took hesitantly. She pulled Sakura along, running to the exit of the tunnel. There was a loud boom, and the tunnels shook, rocks falling from the ceiling. Kuroko and Sakura dodged it easily, continuing to run toward the exit. They passed by the hall with Orochimaru and Sasuke's room, which was emitting a sickly smell. Kuroko wrinkled her nose in disgust; the smell seemed that of a dead animal of some sort. She paused for a second, tempted to run down the hall and look into Orochimaru's room. Her temptations over-ruled her common sense, and she let go of Sakura's hand.

"Wha-?" Sakura began, and Kuroko pointed down the hall.

"I'm going to go look in Orochimaru's room and see if Sasuke is still there. You're welcome to join me if you wish. The exit is down that hall, and to the right." Without waiting for an answer, Kuroko ran down the hall, covering her nose with her sleeve. Footsteps echoing her own confirmed that Sakura had followed her. She slammed open Orochimaru's door with her shoulder, almost tripping over something. She stumbled, flailing her arms to try to regain her balance, making the mistake of accidently inhaling the gas filling the air. She immideatly felt light-headed, the ground swaying dangerously. She cracked open her eyes, and saw a giant white snake laying on the ground, its face horrifyingly similar to Orochimaru's. She turned to Sakura, who thankfully had her hand covering her nose and mouth, and motioned for her to get out. Sakura looked quizzically at her. "O-Out. Get out!" She coughed, the room swaying again. Sakura's eyes showed slight alarm, and she nodded. Looking back regretfully once, she turned and sprinted back out of the room. Kuroko softly smiled to herself; maybe Sakura wouldn't try to kill her the next time they meet. _Next time… _Kuroko slipped to the floor, her brain slowly registering her thoughts. _If there is a next time…_ She fell the floor with a dull thud, eyes glazing over. The last thing she saw was Sasuke's face looking irritated, but worriedly down at her.

x-x-x-x

(**A/N~ **This has nothing to do with the plot, I've gotten a request for this scene. I don't have very much experience with these kinds of scenes, so please forgive me if it's terrible…)

Kuroko ran through a corridor, its ceilings decorated with spider-webs. She kept running, although she didn't exactly know why. Kuroko sprinted down a long set of stairs, stopping to rest at the base. She looked around, panting. The hairs on her neck stood up as she felt something's presence. She whipped around, only to find… nothing. She took in a shaky breath, her heart pounding. Kuroko, after finally catching her breath, ran out the doors of the house. She maneuvered around all the shrubs lining the yard of the house, running into dark woods. The trees cast eerie shadows across the path, and Kuroko thought she saw a glimpse of a shadow of a man. She gasped, sweat trickling down her neck. She stared intently into the trees, and saw another shadow in the shape of a man. Kuroko stifled a scream, and watched as the figure got closer, and closer. She willed herself to run, but her legs were locked; she was trembling in fear. The man got closer, and Kuroko could make out its main features. The shadow was a very tall man, with a black suit. The most un-nerving fact was that the man had no face. In place of it was a blank mask, a wide smile slowly spreading across it. She stared, terrified. It smiled, showing sharp canines; a carnivore. Her eyes widened as it stepped closer and closer and closer…

x-x-x-x

Kuroko woke up with a jolt, sweating and tears falling from her eyes. She gasped for air, choking as she inhaled too much. Out of fright and shock, she grabbed for the nearest thing and clung to it. The thing happened to be Sasuke. He stiffened, then relaxed, patting her head awkwardly. Kuroko sobbed, hugging him harder. He sat there until she stopped. Embarrassed, she let go of him and wiped away her tears.

"How long was I out?" She questioned softly.

"Three days." He replied curtly, then looked her in the eye. "Why did you go in the room? I told you to take Sakura out." She averted his gaze, looking at her hands shamefully.

"I-I wanted to know it you were okay…" She whispered, and Sasuke grabbed her chin, making her look up at him.

"I'm fine. Orochimaru let out numbing poison when I cut him. You were paralyzed for two days, you started moving yesterday." She sighed, and looked back down, twiddling her fingers. He tilted her head back up again, and smirked. "You didn't obey me. Do you need to be punished once more?" Kuroko flushed and shook her head quickly, scooting back from where he sat.

"I-I'll remember not to disobey." She said, and Sasuke slowly nodded in approval. He stood up, packing what little supplies he had taken out.

"We're going to Orochimaru's western hideout to recruit a member." She nodded, knowing that she shouldn't object. _Suigetsu… _She thought, remembering the first member of team Hebi. They ran through the trees, Kuroko shuddering at the memory of the dream. Sasuke finally stopped in the middle of a forest, instructing Kuroko to stay there. He disappeared into a well-concealed tunnel hidden by trees. Kuroko, after waiting a few minutes outside, decided to give into her curiosity and follow him. She walked into the tunnel, immediately missing the fresh air and hating the tight, engulfing feeling of the caves. The hideout was quiet, but after straining her ears, Kuroko heard some voices coming down a hall. She followed them, and entered a room with countless amounts of test subjects in cages, and in jars. Sasuke had his back turned toward her and was talking to a large tank filled with water. With a quick slash of his katana, Sasuke broke it and the water came rushing out. The water rippled, and a white-haired man crawled out of the puddle. Without thinking, Kuroko shrieked and turned around, her face buried in her hands. Two pairs of eyes looked at her, and Kuroko blushed and peeked between her fingers. Suigetsu still wasn't dressed. She flushed and shut her eyes, hoping that the awkward silence would end. She heard a rustling noise; Sasuke was probably providing Suigetsu clothes to wear. She sighed inwardly with relief, removing her hands from her face. Sasuke and Suigetsu seemed in a deep conversation, and in a flash, Suigetsu was right behind Sasuke, his index finger pointed to his temple. Kuroko froze, unsure of what to do. He smirked, then lifted his finger away and laughed. They talked some more, Kuroko knowing they were discussing Zabuza's sword, and it seemed they finally came to an agreement. Suigetsu walked up to her, looking her up and down; examining her. She fidgeted uncomfortably, and he reached to touch her face. Sasuke appeared next to her in a flash, catching Suigetsu's hand in a firm grip. He glared harshly at him. Suigetsu raised his hands up in defense.

"Okay, okay. She's off limits." He said, and backed away. "Just wanted to know who I was traveling with… I'm Suigetsu." He smirked at her, his teeth resembling those of a shark. Kuroko smiled back, though a little forced.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Kuroko."

x-x-x-x

Suigetsu turned out to be much better company then Sasuke. Although he joked a lot and was slightly perverted, he would talk to her and not ignore her or dismiss her with a grunt. They jumped across the trees, heading to Zabuza's grave to retrieve his sword. Kuroko stared at his hair; the tips were a light blue. Suigetsu, noticing the sudden attention, turned to her and smirked.

"Like what you see?" She pointedly ignored him, stumbling over a slippery branch; it had rained last night. She regained her balance, pushing off hard to catch up. Suigetsu was chuckling to himself when she finally caught up. Kuroko huffed, clearly not amused. Sasuke stopped, setting up camp and reminding them that they were going to the northern hideout nest for Karin. Kuroko's eyes widened at the name, and Sasuke shook his head.

"No, I don't think our Karin and your Karin are related." Kuroko nodded thoughtfully, dismissing the thought. They built a fire, each sitting against a tree, and fell asleep quickly. Kuroko woke up early, stomping out the embers left from last night's fire. She walked over to Sasuke, deciding to wake him up. He was sleeping, looking peaceful for once. Kuroko lost track of time, squatting down next to him and studying his face, trying to memorize every inch of it. His eyes opened, looking at her. Kuroko, not noticing that he had awoken, continued to gaze at him, then leapt back, flustered.

"S-Sorry, I didn't notice you wake up…" She apologized, and Sasuke smirked. He got up, his face dangerously close to hers. She stumbled backward, falling on her butt. Sasuke towered over her, holding out his hand to help her up. She took his hand, and he pulled her up, using too much power. The momentum made her fall into him, and it almost looked like they were hugging. Kuroko blushed and literally flew off of him, tripping over the sleeping body of Suigetsu. She landed on him, and he unconsciously wrapped his arms around her. She squirmed, trying to escape. Suigetsu's eyes snapped open, and he grinned when he saw the position they were in.

"So eager, are we now?" She flushed and wriggled against him. Suigetsu let her go, standing up and stretching.

"Pack up, let's go." Sasuke ordered sharply, and they packed up their belongings. Kuroko looked down at herself disgustingly. Sasuke's shirt was covered in dirt, dust, and grime. Her hair was oily, and in tangles. She looked at her arm, which still had the needle in it, restricting her chakra. She picked at it, wincing as it dug deeper into her skin. Sasuke stopped, coming to her side. He held out his hand, and Kuroko placed her arm into it. He gently turned her arm over, examining the needle from all angles. "This will hurt, try to bear it," was the only warning she got before he grabbed it firmly and yanked it out. She yelped, snatching her arm back and cradling it. Tears sprung to her eyes, and she pressed her hand to the now gushing with blood wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Sasuke took out some bandages, taking her arm and wrapping it up. He showed her the needle, then threw it behind him into the trees. Kuroko finished packing with a limp arm, following Suigetsu and Sasuke deeper into the woods. Her arm throbbed, and she clutched it painfully. Her chakra felt fuller than before, but the downside was her arm. She couldn't move it without jarring it and causing more pain. She stopped to rest against a trunk of a tree, sweat running down her forehead.

"S-Stop for a moment, will you?" She rasped, finding it hard to talk. Sasuke was in front of her, looking at her slightly concerned. His eyes widened, then Kuroko slipped away into darkness.

x-x-x-x

Kuroko woke up, immideatly recognizing to feeling of being a wolf. Her body must have changed when it realized it was hurt. _Sasuke? Suigetsu? _ Suigetsu leaned down next to her, looking surprised.

"And she speaks!" He declared, and Kuroko huffed and rolled her eyes. She tried to stand up, finding it difficult but managing to lean against the wall and pant. It was a struggle to even stand, and Suigetsu pushed her back down. "After taking out the needle, your body became paralyzed." He explained, and Kuroko panted louder. "You should rest some more before trying to stand up." Kuroko decided to change to subject. _Where are we?_ "You're at an inn somewhere near Zabuza's grave." He held out a sword proudly. The sword was large and had two holes. Kuroko tried to clap, but after realizing that she had paws, settled with a sarcastic, _bravo. _He smirked. "You're just jealous." Kuroko huffed. _Sure._ Sasuke entered the room, taking in the scene in front of him.

"Lets depart now." He turned to Kuroko. "Can you walk?" She tried to stand up, stumbling. _Kind of…_ But the determined look in her eyes silenced him of any objection. She staggered to his side, looking proudly at Suigetsu. They left the inn, Sasuke paying at the counter quickly, and set off to the northern hideout where Karin is.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Again, I apologize that I updated so late. I've been busy…

Thank you for reading and _please _review!


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you to DyingWarrior, JuliaAbadeerSkellington, Kurotiger, and Ashley for reviewing~

DyingWarrior~ Nooo I can't take the heat! (Lol)

Ashley~ Thank you Ashley. (You should post you story~)

Chapter 19

x-x-x-x

They reached the northern hideout in a matter of days; Sasuke was very persistent to keep going and not stop. Kuroko stood in front of a large cliff. An entrance was near the top, and suddenly, Kuroko felt herself being picked up, and she was soaring through the air. She shrieked, and was caught. She squirmed out of his grasp and glared.

"I'm not a football for you two!" Apparently Suigetsu had thrown her and Sasuke had caught her in front of the entrance. Sasuke just huffed, and turned to enter the hideout. Kuroko hurriedly followed, Suigetsu right behind her. They went through a series of tunnels and halls, then finally came to a stop by a red-haired girl. She gasped when she saw Sasuke, right at the same time Kuroko did. _Her resemblance to my Karin is eerily similar… _Kuroko thought, looking her up and down. The red-haired kunoichi was wearing a purple shirt, cutting off in the middle right above her navel. She wore black short shorts and long, knee-high black socks. Kuroko gaped for a second, and then Suigetsu did the honor of closing her mouth back for her. He chuckled, watching amusingly as Kuroko continued to stare as Sasuke asked Karin to join. She said she needed to think about it, and let Sasuke down the hall to talk to him. Kuroko and Suigetsu followed after, Suigetsu falling for Karin's trick to lead him down a different hall. Kuroko watched as Suigetsu continued down the long tunnel, while Karin and Sasuke turned to enter a room. Kuroko waited by the wall, listening in to their conversation. Not many words were exchanged, although Kuroko knew something was happening by the rustling noises coming from inside. Kuroko, knowing what was happening; she read the manga and watched the anime, knocked on the door lightly. When she didn't get an answer, Kuroko, slightly peeved, kicked it down. Karin was almost on Sasuke's lap, her glasses set on a nearby table. Sasuke had an emotionless face, but deep down, Kuroko could imagine him wearing puppy-dog-eyes and pleading for help. Suigetsu announced his entrance shortly after, Kuroko walked to the table and picked up Karin's glasses. Out of curiosity, she placed them on her nose. _Nothing weird about these glasses…_ Kuroko squinted. _Although Karin has bad eyesight…_ Karin ran up to her and snatched them off her face.

"Don't touch other people's stuff!" She snarled, and Kuroko backed away, bumping into Suigetsu. They fell down like dominoes, Kuroko grabbing Karin's sleeve at the last moment to try steady herself. It didn't work; Karin ended up falling on Kuroko who fell on Suigetsu. They all grumbled and struggled to get up, Sasuke stood next to Kuroko, offering her his hand. She gratefully took it, but Suigetsu decided to pull Kuroko down once more. She fell gracelessly, pulling down Sasuke with her. He landed on her who landed on Suigetsu, his forehead colliding with hers. Suigetsu, apparently finding this the perfect time to try and get up, pushed Kuroko off of him, rolling her so she was on Sasuke. Her lips touched his nose, dangerously close to his mouth. She blushed hard, fumbling to try to get off of him. Karin grabbed her arm and yanked her off of Sasuke, throwing her into the wall. Kuroko yelped, wincing as her back popped. Sasuke stood up, ignoring Karin's attempts to help him. He touched his nose briefly, to quick for anyone but Kuroko to spot. She flushed and touched her lips, looking up and making eye contact with him. Quickly averting his gaze, she scrambled up slowly and cleared her throat. Sasuke blinked, then announced that they would leave.

x-x-x-x

"Ouch…" Kuroko hissed, rubbing her back and grimacing. Suigetsu looked worriedly at her, asking her if she was okay. Kuroko nodded, stretching her back to try and ease the pain. It did the opposite. Her back cracked, and her eyes widened. She fell backwards, unable to do anything to stop her fall. Sasuke caught her, holding her upright and examining her. He looked at Karin.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to throw her off of you _that _hard…" She apologized, although her tone said differently. Kuroko smiled, although it probably looked like a grimace, and nodded.

"It's okay, I'll be fine." She reassured, and tried to stand. Suigetsu gaped at her disbelievingly; he couldn't see how she could forgive someone who probably hurt her in purpose. After Kuroko slapped his hand away, Sasuke reluctantly let go; Kuroko's back screaming with pain as she stood up. She kept her facial expressions at minimum, although her eyes showed agony. Closing her eyes, she nodded, breathing out a sigh. "See? I'm completely fine." Kuroko repeated, and Karin smirked at Suigetsu. Sasuke shook his head slightly, but they continued on. Kuroko struggled to keep up with the group, her back flaring with excruciating pain with every step she took. She kept pushing herself, repeating that _we're almost there _again and again, forcing her body to move against its own will. Kuroko began to sweat and pant, stopping to lean against a tree every few steps. Her eyes watered; she couldn't hold them back any longer. Suigetsu stopped, looking back at her.

"You okay princess?" Kuroko raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but nodded.

"One second. I need to take a break." She pushed off the tree, blinking back her tears, and hobbled to his side. Sasuke and Karin appeared next to her, apparently having a one-sided argument.

"See? She's nothing but dead weight. I say we throw her off the team." Kuroko's eyes swam with tears, but she refused to let them fall. She nodded slowly.

"I agree. Why are you keeping my here anyway Sasuke?" Sasuke looked at her, immediately noticing the sweat dripping from her face, the harsh panting, and the pain flooding her eyes as well as the tears. He was at her side at an instant. Lifting her hand, he gently pressed it to the small of her back. Agony flared through her, and she crumpled to the floor, letting out a painful moan. Sasuke caught her before she could fall, and carried her bridal-style. Kuroko's vision swam, unable to see anything any longer.

x-x-x-x

"She's awake!" Kuroko groaned and blinked open her eyes. Suigetsu towered over her, his face right above hers. She groaned, then sat up, her back feeling surprisingly better. Her eyes flew to an orange-haired person sitting in the corner of the room. He looked up and caught her gaze. _Juugo_. Kuroko organized him instantly. Sasuke came into the room with Karin, glancing once in her direction.

"Can you move now?" He asked, and Kuroko nodded quickly. She stood up, eager to redeem herself. She wouldn't be a burden to him. They exited the inn, and after Sasuke's dramatic announcement of becoming Team Hebi and what their objective was, began moving toward the Uchiha hideout. They reached it by night, entering yet _another _underground base. Kuroko felt much better than before, although fatigue was slowly overtaking her. She sucked in a deep breath before falling into step beside Juugo and entering the hideout. Two cats greeted them, both wearing clothes and had their foreheads marked with kanji. Sasuke nodded to them respectfully, asking them for weapons, supplies, and shelter for the night. Kuroko watched in fasciation as they talked with Sasuke, remembering how Kakashi had ninken that could talk as well. She squatted down, looking at them closely. One of them walked up to her, Hina, as Sasuke had called her. Kuroko smiled, reaching to pet it, but drew her hand back. It wasn't respectful to pet summoned pets without permission. She paused hesitantly.

"Could I pet you..?" Kuroko asked, and the cat narrowed its eyes. Hina studied her for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"You may have the pleasure of petting me." Kuroko sweat-dropped, but stroked it under the chin. Hina purred loudly, Kuroko looked up at Sasuke and smirked. He looked away, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. He coughed, then asked the other cat, named Denka, to lead the way. He obliged, leading Sasuke down a hall, then another. Suigetsu and Karin followed after him, but Kuroko was too preoccupied with petting Hina to notice their disappearance. When she stopped petting the cat, she looked up and saw that every one was gone. After a few minutes of staring blankly into space, she stood up, shocked.

"Oh no! I've lost them!" Kuroko whipped her head franticly around, trying to figure out where they would've disappeared. Hina coughed lightly, catching Kuroko's attention. She looked at the cat questioningly. Hina walked away, flicking her tail to beckon her. Kuroko scampered after her, desperate not to lose her in all the tunnels. Hina looked at Kuroko, eyes catching on the dirty shirt.

"Would you like to change your clothes and take a shower?" Kuroko nodded enthusiastically. She was led down another series of halls, stopping at a bathroom. Hina went into a closet and came out with dark pants and shirt. Kuroko's eyes flew to the Uchiha symbol stitched proudly on the back. She frowned, but was grateful never less. Kuroko came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed, her old clothes in the trash. The shirt she was now wearing had a high collar, much like the one Sasuke had given her before. She tugged on it, her fingers coming into contact with something hard. Remembering the collar she had on, she grasped the collar and tugged on it. It wouldn't budge. After successfully choking herself, Kuroko decided that she would ask someone later to cut it off for her. Her stomach growled, and she flushed and looked at Hina.

"Um…" Hina nodded. It started down to a large room, containing more cats then Kuroko had ever seen in her life. They swarmed her, mewing and pleading to be pet. Kuroko fell to the ground, wincing as her back hit the floor. The cats crawled over her, Kuroko sitting up and petting the one on her lap. Sasuke, Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo sat in the middle of the room, each wearing new clothes. Although Juugo was wearing something that looked like a curtain. Kuroko got up, maneuvering her way through the mass of felines to reach their sides. She coughed awkwardly, gaining all of their attention. Sasuke smirked when he saw the new clothes. Kuroko fidgeted.

"Oh, hello there." Kuroko looked around, surprised by the foreign voice. An elderly woman was sitting with many cats, looking Kuroko over. "You must be hungry. Everyone had their fill while you were… away?" She trailed off questioningly. Kuroko coughed again, blushing form embarrassment.

"I… err… got lost?" She said, the last part coming out as a question. To her mortification, Karin snorted and Suigetsu laughed. Juugo just smiled. She glared at Suigetsu, her face burning. "I-It's not funny!" She stammered, causing him to laugh more. The elderly woman coughed, and motioned to another girl.

"Get her some food, will you?" The girl nodded, disappearing. She came back with a rice ball; apologizing because that was the only thing they have available at the time. Kuroko waved it off, graciously accepting it. She dug in, happily munching on the rice. After finishing it and feeling somewhat content, the girl brought out bedrolls for them to sleep on for the night. Before going to sleep, Sasuke squatted next to her, lifting her chin up to meet her eyes. He swiped his finger across her mouth, and Kuroko flushed. She scowled, jerking her chin out of his grasp, inwardly cursing herself for being so vulnerable. He held out his finger, showing her the grain of rice he had removed. Karin and Suigetsu gaped; amazed that Sasuke could show so much affection. The old woman nodded to herself quietly. Kuroko laid down on her futon, her head spinning with questions. But the only on that came to mind the most was; _Sasuke, why did you decide to take me with you..?_

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you for reading and _please_ review~

(Was Sasuke too OOC..?)


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto!

**~Author's Note~**

I am so sorry everyone! I have writer's block and have no clue how to continue the story! (Alas, I shall try though.)

Thank you to NagariMitsukari12, JuliaAbadeerSkellington, a Guest, Dark As Black, Kurotiger, SKYSPRITE, DyingWarrior, DeityOfDeadlyRose and pinkus-pyon for reviewing~

JuliaAbadeerSkellington~ Yes, that is true…

Guest~ I'm sorry, I'll try my hardest not to make him OOC.. Although you do have a point there.

Kurotiger~ Maybe… I kind of don't really know…

SKYSPRITE~ Lol, I shall try my best!

DyingWarrior~ I'm so sorry!

DeityOfDeadlyRose~ To be honest, I have no idea how that happened myself… (Should I make her cry more..?)

pinkus-pyon~ I'm sorry… Although I take Spanish classes, I'm afraid I have no idea what you're saying… Thank you for reviewing though!

**Important Note.**

Sorry for the confusion, allow me to clear this up for you.

When Kuroko met Naruto & Co in her world, they were genin and Sasuke had yet to go to Orochimaru. When she traveled to the Naruto-Verse, there was time alteration and now it's in the Shippuden timeline.

Hope that helped~

Chapter 20

x-x-x-x

Kuroko groaned, annoyed, feeling something tickle her chin. She cracked open her eyes, coming face-to-face with a kitten. She sat up abruptly, knocking over at least seven felines that had nestled on top of her in her sleep. She gasped, her eyes widening.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She apologized, grabbing a few kittens and cuddling with them. They purred, accepting her apology. She set them down, standing up and stretching. After taking a quick look around the room, and noticing that no one else occupied the room, she decided to start packing up. When she was satisfied, she pushed the futon and blankets in the corner, and set off to find her companions. Sasuke stood waiting outside, holding a black cloak. Kuroko took it, putting it on as she saw that everyone else was wearing it. As Sasuke checked the supplies once more, Kuroko decided to break the silence. "Where are we headed now?"

"To the Akatsuki." Was Sasuke's blunt reply. They journeyed for a short distance, then split up. Suigetsu and Juugo went in one direction, and Karin went another, after another brief argument of, "Why her?", leaving Kuroko and Sasuke standing alone. Kuroko glanced at his face, meeting his eyes as her turned to look at her.

"Yes Sasuke, why me?" He huffed, clearly ignoring her. She glared off into the trees, following him to the edge of the forest. He tensed, stopping in his tracks. Kuroko ran into his back, peeking over his shoulder to see what the problem was. He turned around pushing her back into her trees.

"Go, get out of here." Kuroko stayed put, cocking her head to the side.

"Wha-"

"Now!" She whipped around, sprinting into the foliage. She ran, dodging the trees, her heart beating fast. _What had caused such a reaction out of Sasuke..? _ Slowing down to a walk, she debated whether or not to return back. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she summoned Uzume, ordering her to return to the clearing and investigate. '_Yes Kuroko-sama.'_ Uzume disappeared into the trees, leaving Kuroko, once again, alone. She tugged on her sleeves worryingly, anxious to know what was going on. A large explosion rocked the ground, making her lose her balance and tumble to the ground. Kuroko landed on the ground, sitting up and seeing Uzume.

"What the hell was that?!" '_That was a bomb detonated by a yellow-haired Iwa ninja currently battling Sasuke-san.'_ Kuroko's eyes widened. Maybe it's _Deidara. _She thought. '_Yes, Kuroko-sama, he was wearing an 'Akatuki' cloak.'_ Kuroko stood up.

"I'm going back." She stated, and Uzume's shook her head. '_I would not be wise to return to the clearing Kuroko-sama. The bomber looks powerful and his companion seemed strange. I would suggest waiting like Sasuke-san ordered you to.'_ Kuroko's eyes hardened.

"Would you like to accompany me Uzume?" Uzume looked down sadly.' _I'm terribly sorry Kuroko-sama; I will be of no use in battle. Amida and Sengen should be, though.' _She poofed away, and Kuroko summoned said animals. Already hearing their earlier conversation, the duo nodded curtly, and took off into the trees. Kuroko rode on Sengen's back, coming to a stop at the clearing… which didn't exactly look like a clearing anymore. The ground was rubble, Sasuke and Deidara standing a few feet apart from each other. Deidara said something and laughed, tearing his shirt off and revealing a line of stitching across his chest. One of his hands bit through the stitching, while the other took out a lump of clay from his pouch. Kuroko's eyes widened as the stitching came undone to reveal a mouth. She glanced over to Sasuke who seemed to have trouble standing. After mentally commanding Sengen to try to stop Deidara, Kuroko sprinted to Sasuke with Amida right on her heels. She stood next to Sasuke, placing her hands on his shoulders to steady him. There were growls in the background, and Kuroko looked him over. Hearing a loud noise and a whine, she whipped around and saw Sengen on the ground; Deidara had successfully turned himself into a bomb. Kuroko, without thinking, ran to Sengen's side. Sasuke bit his thumb, summoning a large snake. Amida ran to Kuroko's side, grabbing her by the back of her shirt.

"No!" She shouted, as Amida took her farther and farther away from the wounded wolf. She tried to unsummon her, but Sengen lifted her head and shook it sadly. '_I'm sorry Kuroko-sama. I believe my time has come to move on. Please take care of yourself.' _Kuroko stared at her in disbelief. Amida ran into the mouth of the snake, colliding with Sasuke. The snake closed it's mouth, there was a loud boom, and Kuroko screamed.

x-x-x-x

"Nooo!" She screamed, thrashing against Amida's firm hold. He grunted, but didn't release his grip. She fell limp. "No…" She repeated, her voice cracking. Amida let her fall to the ground, and she crumpled to the bottom of the snake's mouth. Forgetting that Sasuke was in her presence, she sat there in shock, a few tears escaping her eyes. Although she didn't know Sengen for long, she had become quite attached to the fluffy white canine. Wiping her tears away, she stood up, patting Amida's head. He huffed and turned away. '_Done?'_ He asked, and she nodded. Kuroko turned to Sasuke.

"Err… Where are we?" She asked, looking at the slimy walls. "I know we're inside a snake… but-" There was a poof and she tumbled out of the reptile, onto the ground. Sugetsu stood over her, looking remotely worried.

"What was that? There was a really big explosion." Sasuke stepped out.

"An Akatsuki member." Kuroko remained on the ground, dizzy from exiting the snake. A large hand appeared in front of her, and she took it, standing up. Juugo gave her a smile, which she returned quickly. Sasuke glared at her. "I told you to leave." She sweatdropped.

"Whoops… Sorry." She offered, but Sasuke shook his head. He turned and walked away, and naturally, everyone followed him. Kuroko stared at the ground solemnly, remembering Sengen. Amida nudged her leg._ 'Don't worry about it. She knew she was going to leave the world sometime.'_ Kuroko shook her head. "No. I could have prevented it." Tears formed in her eyes, and she blinked them away. _…_ Amida was silent. He gave her another nudge. '_Uzume and I are still here.'_ He reminded her. She nodded again, and they dropped the subject.

x-x-x-x

**~Author's Note~**

I am so sorry everyone! I have writer's block and can't think of anything for the plot!

Maybe you readers could review and give me ideas..? (Please?)

Thank you for reading and please review~


	21. Chapter 21

Okay... So..

This story is really bad and is all over the place...

(Like the characters, and Kuroko's personality...)

I'm pondering wether or not to delete it... (-_-:


End file.
